Head of Shakyamuni Buddha, Greco-Buddhist Gandhara art, Northwestern Indian subcontinent (present-day Pakistan / Afghanistan), Kushan period, circa 2nd - 3rd century Grey-green schist head, carved in the round, representing Shakyamuni Buddha. The face, with regular, symmetrical features, features almond-shaped, half-closed eyes, emphasized by sharply hemmed eyelids, a straight nose and a mouth with full, slightly defined lips. The expression is interiorized, conveying a meditative state. The forehead is adorned with a discreetly marked urna. The hair is treated in wavy locks radiating from the crown of the head and gathered into a high bun (ushnisha), whose supple shape evokes the canons inherited from Hellenistic tradition. The long, stretched ears, with pierced lobes, recall the Buddha's princely condition before his renunciation. At the back, part of the circular nimbus remains, carved into the continuity of the block, indicating that it probably originally belonged to a leaning figure. The surface retains traces of erosion and burial, with concretions and a brownish-ochre patina in places. Height: 24 cm Old cracks visible on the neck and reverse and on the front of the ushnisha. Base.