In this article we want to introduce first the Gabor wavelet network as a model based approach for an effective and efficient object representation. The Gabor wavelet network has several advantages such as invariance to some degree with respect to translation, rotation and dilation. Furthermore, the use of Gabor filters ensured that geometrical and textural object features are encoded. The feasibility of the Gabor filters as a model for local object features ensures a considerable data reduction while at the same time allowing any desired precision of the object representation ranging from a sparse to a photo-realistic representation. In the second part of the paper we will present an approach for the estimation of a head pose that is based on the Gabor wavelet networks.