Head of a Male Figure

Compared to the idealized features of a Buddha, this figure’s relatively portly face, dynamic moustache, and engaging eyes convey a portrait of expressive personality. The hairstyle, consisting of S-shaped curls, helps to date this object to the latter half of the second century. Like many Kusana objects, this fragment of a head is difficult to identify without its original body and context. Stylistic comparisons with more complete sculptures from the same period and region suggest that it might be a yaksa (nature spirit), or even the king of the yaksas, a deity called Kubera or Vaisravana. The full figure would probably have been installed in an architectural program consisting of other figures and motifs.