Circa 100-200 AD A beautifully carved schist Buddha seated in a dhyanasana position with his hands folded in his lap, the deeply incised folds of his sanghati flowing over his shoulders and covering his ankles, his face with downcast, almond-shaped eyes, his hair pulled over the ushnisha, seated on a cushioned throne a frieze below depicting the four forms of the Buddha, backed by a round halo. This head exhibits several of the characteristic features by which one could recognise a great man: these marks. Buddha is depicted with an ‘ushnisha‘: a protuberance on the top of the head, which may have originated in the bun hairstyle once worn by Nepalese nobility. Although the Buddha was born into a noble family, the ushnisha is generally considered a sign of the Buddha’s wisdom and enlightenment. His long and stylised earlobes recall the heavy earrings that the Buddha wore before he renounced his wealth. The circle between the eyes is called an ‘urna’: an identifying mark of the Buddha to symbolise his divine status and ability to see beyond the mundane realm. Size: L:560mm / W:330mm ; 19.3kg. Provenance: Property of a London Ancient Art gallery; formerly with H.G. private UK collection; acquired in Japan before 2003; previously in a Japanese collection since the 1960s.