A LARGE YOUTHFUL BODHISATTVA, SWAT VALLEY, 6TH-8TH CENTURY Terracotta of pinkish-beige color, enforced by an inner wood structure. Bodhisattva, who looks down with empathy, gazes with accented eyes and an expression that is resilient and magisterial. He wears a tall three-pointed diadem with petals and foliage, above a row of pearls and spiraling curls framing the forehead, and three necklaces, one made of lotus roundels. Remnants of thick hair tresses cascade along his shoulders in a manner distinctive to the Swat Valley. Provenance: From an English private collection. Shirley Day, New York, 24 June 2005. A private collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Shirley Day, New York, dated 24 June 2005, is accompanying this lot. (Note that this invoice dates the present statue to "Kashmir culture, 8th century AD") Published: 51eme Foire des Antiquaires de Belgique, 2006. Copies of the respective entry are accompanying this lot. Condition: Losses, cracks and encrustations as visible on the images (see all images online at www.zacke.at). Nicely grown patina. Some breaks with areas of old restoration, overall fully consistent with the age of this statue. Scientific Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on February 13th, 2020, sets the firing date of the three samples taken at 1000 - 1600 years ago. Weight: 14.3 kg Dimensions: Height 54.5 cm (the bust only) and 61.5 cm (including the stand) For many, the Swat Valley is made famous by legends surrounding the creation of the very first image of Buddha that was commissioned during his lifetime by one of Swat's ancient rulers, King Udayana of Kaushambi, and later became an important cult image in China. Situated along the lush upper banks of the Indus river in modern day northern Pakistan, the Swat Valley's contribution to the perpetuity of Buddhist art in Western Asia was pivotal after the Hun invasions of the ancient region of Gandhara in the 6th century had all but ceased production. Gradually the distinctive Swat aesthetic melted into the style of adjoining Kashmir. Thereafter the art of medieval Kashmir was seminal for the formation of early Western Tibetan Buddhist art and beyond. The fine facial features, for which this statue excels, distinguishes it from later Kashmir types. Whereas the latter tend to have stuffed, somewhat bloated cheeks, this figure retains a more pleasing oval shape reminiscent of the Gandharan and Gupta influences on Swat before the 6th century. For the same reason his nose appears more aquiline than broader Kashmir examples. And lastly, whereas the proportions of the eyes can appear unrestrained and overly abstracted, to the point of being awkward, his eyes are elegant and symmetrical. Associated modern stand. (2)