A TERRACOTTA HEAD OF MAITREYAAncient region of Gandhara, 4th-5th century. The head modeled with finely curled hair and wearing an elaborately adorned tiara centered by a stylized flower, the face with elegant features, such as the finely incised arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, aquiline nose, gentle smile, and long earlobes with circular earrings.Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dep?ache du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Evariste Regis Huc, also known as the Abbe Huc (1813-1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.Inventory List: In 1954, L. Magniette, bailiff of the court in Toulouse (Huissier), was ordered to compile a complete inventory of the collection inherited by Marcel Huc from his father, Arthur Huc, the so-called “Inventaire Huc”. The present lot is listed in this inventory as follows: “Serie de vingt deux t?ates en terre-cuite. GANDHARA” (series of twenty-two terracotta heads. GANDHARA). A copy of the inventory list and cover page are accompanying this lot.Condition: Excellent, almost unique condition, fully consistent with the age of the sculpture, some firing flaws and material loss to exposed areas, hardly noticeable due to a light-colored varnish coating which was applied a long time ago.Scientific Analysis Report: A Thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Oxford Authentication, TL test no. N116n11, dated 18 October 2016, and is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture, a copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot (the original is lost).Weight: 3.2 kg (total)Dimensions: Height 23 cm (the head) and 37 cm (incl. base)Mounted on an associated base. (2)According to Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha.Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related terracotta head of Maitreya at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 31 March 2005, sold for USD 20,400.陶土彌勒頭像健陀羅, 四至五世紀。頭部造型細緻,捲曲的頭髮,飾有精美花卉紋頭飾。臉部輪廓優雅,弓形眉,杏仁形的眼睛,筆挺的鼻子,慈祥的笑容以及帶有圓形耳環的長耳垂 。來源:Arthur Huc (1854-1932)收藏。Marcel Huc繼承,自此保存在同一家族至今。Arthur Huc是La Dep?achedu Midi的主編,這是當時法國圖盧茲的主要報紙。他還是一位出色的藝術評論家,也是包括Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec在內的幾位藝術家的早期贊助人。 同時,Arthur Huc是一位熱衷於亞洲藝術的收藏家,他的熱情源於他的傳奇祖先Evariste Regis Huc,中文名為古伯察(1813-1860),是法國天主教神父和旅行作家,在他的《韃靼西藏旅行記》書中描述了他在清朝的遊歷以及對蒙古尤其是當時幾乎鮮為人知的西藏的敘述。收藏清單:1954年,圖盧茲法院法警 L. Magniette奉命對Marcel Huc從其父親Arthur Huc繼承的收藏品進行完整目錄彙編,即所謂的“ Inventaire Huc”。 此拍品也在當時列出的收藏清單中“ Serie de vingt deuxt?atesen terre-cuite。 GANDHARA”(二十二個陶土頭像系列,健陀羅)。隨附清單和封面副本。圖片:Arthur Huc (1854-1932)品相:狀況極佳,非常獨特,與雕塑的年齡相符,存在一些燒製瑕疵,裸露區域材料缺失,多年前的淺色清漆塗層已經幾乎看不出。科學檢測報告:隨附一份牛津熱釋光檢測鑒定報告(原件遺失)。監測報告 no. N116n11,2016年10月18日,與目前斷代一致。重量:縂3.2 公斤尺寸:頭高23 厘米;縂 37 厘米底座。拍賣結果比較:一件相近陶土彌勒佛頭像見紐約佳士得 Indian and Southeast Asian Art拍場2005年3月31日售價USD 20,400.