Detail: close-up
This impressive Gandharan relief shows the historical Buddha, his hands raised in the gesture of teaching, seated on an inverted lotus throne beneath a celestial tree with fruits emerging from the clusters of leaves. He is flanked by two standing bodhisattvas, one of whom can be identified as Maitreya by the stupa in his headdress and the kalasa in his left hand. Beautifully integrated into the back of the relief are two divine figures who crane forwards to hear the Buddha’s discourse, their hands clasped in adoration. A meditating Buddha sits in a shrine at the top right and left of the relief. A striking feature of the work is the row of four bodhisattvas, bracketed by columns, that occupies the lower section. They are seated on draped thrones, their feet resting on lotuses that float on the flowing water beneath, and are portrayed with vibrant movement and lively expression. Like the central Buddha, all the bodhisattvas consistently display the finest quality of carving known from Gandhara. Each is nimbused, and the standing bodhisattvas are clad in characteristic attire and ornamentation – a folded dhoti, sandals, crescent collar, bracelets, and charm boxes attached to a string worn diagonally across the torso.
Gandhara produced the first anthropomorphic Buddha and bodhisattva images, and the use of hard grey schist was common. The influence of the Greco-Roman aesthetic is apparent in the naturalistic treatment of the robes and hairstyles and the realism of the facial expressions. In contrast to the relative simplicity of the Buddha image, the portrayal of bodhisattvas challenged Gandharan craftsmen to expand their technical skills. Dressed in lavishly ornamented folded robes and beautiful jewellery the bodhisattvas have the appearance of royal personalities. They form an important part of this finely carved, inspired Gandharan relief.
Provenance: Private collection, Japan.
Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00027870.
H. Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, Hamden, 1971, no.252-263.
Sir J. Marshall, The Buddhist Art of Gandhara, Cambridge, 1980, no.122-124.
P. Pal, Light of Asia. Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1984, p.191, no.74.
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