Museum no. LOAN:INDIA.61 ((Khot.01.i)
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
On loan from the Government of India and the Archaeological Survey of India
The head of a female with an elaborate hairstyle originally belonged to a figurine. There is an intact example from the Stein collection in the British Museum that shows a matronly woman cloaked in a long coat with hanging sleeves. Beside the elaborate hair styles, these terracotta female heads usually display facial tattoos. Stein purchased it around the village of Yotkan in the Borazan region of Khotan, which was identified with the ancient capital of the kingdom of Khotan.