Buddha Stucco Head. Hadda Museum, Nangarhar Province.

1965
The Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) school of thought that sanctioned representations of the Buddha figure was fully established at Jalalabad in the 2nd century CE. Buddha heads came in all sizes, large and small, from 8 cm to 30 cm. They were made of stucco, lime plaster, a medium that had been used since the 1st century CE in Alexandria, Egypt, instead of stone for creative sculpturing. Stucco was flexible and easily worked, giving artists greater freedom to express their creative imagination. At the same time, the stucco heads were very durable, and survived long after the unbaked clay bodies to which they were affixed disintegrated.
Photo: M. Peterson

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Filename: 65-M-76.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 5825x4185 / 3.1MB; 1965 Afghanistan Nangarhar Hadda Museum Buddha Stucco Head Mahayana Greater Vehicle Buddha Head Lime Plaster Alexandria Egypt M. Peterson Slide LD 1965 02064
Contained in galleries: NATIONAL MUSEUM II: CE (Common Era)

1965<br />
The Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) school of thought that sanctioned representations of the Buddha figure was fully established at Jalalabad in the 2nd century CE. Buddha heads came in all sizes, large and small, from 8 cm to 30 cm. They were made of stucco, lime plaster, a medium that had been used since the 1st century CE in Alexandria, Egypt, instead of stone for creative sculpturing. Stucco was flexible and easily worked, giving artists greater freedom to express their creative imagination. At the same time, the stucco heads were very durable, and survived long after the unbaked clay bodies to which they were affixed disintegrated. <br />
Photo: M. Peterson