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11. Monumental Buddha/Bodhisattva India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura region Dedicated during the reign of Kushan Emperor Huviska (106-140 A.D.), Huviska year 28 Mottled red sandstone Height: 69 in. (175.3 cm.) |
Buddha is portrayed here as a cosmic force, powerful and awe-inspiring. His commanding frontal stance is enhanced by a tightly clenched fist held at his left hip which would likely have grasped the hilt of a sword. [1] Although missing, his right hand would have been held outward in the gesture dispelling fear, abhayamudra. Further attesting to the Enlightened One�s supernatural nature, his close-fitting garment reveals a supremely well-built, masculine physique beneath its diaphanous pleats. A broad chest, slightly swollen breasts and abdomen, and a profoundly indented navel are all made apparent, regardless of the clothing that covers them. Fabric falls in a series of regular folds over his left arm, leaving his right shoulder bare, a dhoti is held in place by a wide knotted belt, and a long scarf is gracefully draped over his left wrist. [2] Beneath Buddha�s feet, a lovely cluster of lotus flowers is placed, perhaps symbolic of the nether regions. [3] At one time, the torso would have been completed by a rounded head, very similar to the preceding example, and protected by a parasol from above. A valuable inscription on the base of the Buddha, specifically dating the sculpture, has been translated to read: �In the reign of Maharaja (Mahara) Huviskha year 28, the second month of winter, at this time Rakhaṇa Yava . . . donated Buddha�s seat (āsanam)�(which will remain) in the protection of Agikas.� Buddha�s image is designated here as āsanam �a seat or throne.� Apparently, this is a continuation of earlier tradition, in which the Buddha Sakyamuni is represented by an empty seat. [4] Early Buddhists had depicted the Enlightened One by such symbols used to signify his presence, and it was not until the Kushan period that he took on a more human appearance. The first figural portraits of Buddha were brought about in response to the increasing popularity of the Mahayana doctrine. In the Mathura region, the evolution began with standing images, and the few that still exist are highly important. [5] Although they present an idealized version of Buddha, there remains a very human, warrior-like quality to their appearance. This style is also apparent in other dated, standing images of Buddha that exist from the early Kaniska reign, such as the Buddha from Kausambi, presently in the Allahabad Municipal Museum, dated to the second year of Kaniska, and the Bodhisattva figure from Lakhnau, in the Mathura Museum, dated to the thirty-fifth year in Kaniska. [6] It is evidenced by the latter that this style continued well into the reign of Huviska, the period to which the present example belongs. Its graceful lines and sensitive rendering, in particular, attest to the advanced skill of the artist whose sculpture is one not only of historical significance, but also of exceptional beauty. Provenance: New York Private Collection 1. See Menzies (2001), p. 43. The clenched left fist is a gesture exclusive to all early Buddha images of Kushan Mathura. 2. See Czuma (1985), p. 27. The style of the garment worn by Buddha is one that was characteristic of the early Mathura Buddhas. 3. Ibid, p. 27. Czuma suggests that the cluster of lotuses represents Siddhartha�s turban. In similar Kushan standing images of Buddha, the cluster of lotuses is oftentimes replaced by a lion image. 4. We are grateful to Dr. Guatama Vajracharya for this translation of the Kushan inscription, a complete copy of which is available. 5. For a related early Kushan Matura monumental standing image of Buddha, see Menzies (2001), no. 26. See also the colossal Buddha images from the Archaeological Museum, Sarnath and The Archaeological Museum, Mathura, Czuma (1985), p. 28, figs. 2 and 3. 6. See Czuma (1985), pp. 227-28, nos. 3 and 11. |