A schist statue fragment with bust of Buddha with large aureole behind the head, emaciated face with hollow cheeks and sunken eye sockets, ushishna covered by wavy hair, urna flanked by raised veins; mounted on a custom-made stand.

PROVENANCE:
Acquired for the ‘Buckingham Collection’ by the late Nik Douglas (1944-2012), renowned author, curator and Asian art expert; the collection formed from the early 1960s to early 1970s; displayed at the major exhibition ‘The Buddha Image: Out of Uddiyana’, Tibet House, 22 West 15th Street, New York, 16 September-20 October 2010, extended to 16 November and again to 7 January 2011; where the collection of one hundred pieces was publicly valued at US$ 15M; this piece was scheduled to be included in an exhibition entitled ‘On the Silk Route; Birth of The Buddha’, to be held in London from November 2012, but sadly his death prevented this; accompanied by copies of several press releases and articles for the exhibition, including Artnet News, This Week in New York, Huffpost, Buddhist Art News, and a copy of the relevant exhibition catalogue pages.

LITERATURE:
Exhibited: Douglas, Nik., Out of Uddiyana. An exhibition at Tibet House New York, From the Buckingham collections, exhibit BG010, p.94; accompanied by copies of the relevant exhibition catalogue pages.

FOOTNOTES:
Asian art expert Nik Douglas wrote: 'The portrayal is intense; the Buddha has a small beard, the eyes are just sockets, the cheeks sunken, veins mark the forehead above the urna. The hair is pulled back from the brow, forming rivulet-like waves, piled onto the top of the head and forming a bun which covers the ushnisha (cranial sign of spirituality). A large circular aureole behind the Buddha's head... NOTE: Very few heads of Fasting Buddhas have survived to such a fine and complete degree. Several, in museum collections, are without an attached aureole. This is a particularly fine and important example of the moving subject.'