Head of a female donor, or deity
Bāgh Gaï - Figure
This female-looking head is perhaps a divinity, a Bodhisattva, a donor or even the god Brahma, if one considers that the accompanying figure represents Indra (HADB n° 133).
The hair, whose wavy strands are represented by hollows, is decorated with a diadem consisting of two crowns. The first, made up of rectangular beads, is placed around the forehead. The second, placed on the top of the skull, no longer has very visible details. The two are joined at the top of the forehead by a fastener, perhaps a piece of jewellery. The face is framed by a roll of hair. The style of this figure is reminiscent of certain Central Asian works. The half-closed eyes and the movement that animates it add to its shy and smiling expression. The earlobes are deformed. Traces of red and black paint are visible: rings underline the hair and diadem as well as the eyes, eyebrows and lips. Emerging from the wall, she may have had her hands in añjalimudrā, like her symmetrical counterpart.
Observation :This head is part of the decoration of a vestibule of Vihāra 56 of Bāgh Gaï, restored to the Musée Guimet. On one panel, three pointed arches housed three Buddhas. The spandrels were occupied by this figure and HADB n° 133 which Barthoux calls the "laureate barbarian".
Bibliographical References :BARTHOUX Jules - 1930 - Les Fouilles de Haḍḍa, Figures et Figurines - Pl. 84 e
