Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art
Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art
Property From a New England Collection
A Gray Schist Figure of the Seated Buddha, Ancient Region of Gandhara, 2nd/3rd Century
Auction Closed
September 20, 05:33 PM GMT
Estimate
100,000 - 120,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property From a New England Collection
A Gray Schist Figure of the Seated Buddha
Ancient Region of Gandhara, 2nd/3rd Century
Height 22¾ in. (57.8 cm)
the Buddha seated in dhyanasana with a serene face and the marks of nobility encircled in a halo, with his hands resting in his lap, the robe draping over both shoulders, undulating in high relief across the torso, gathering in a folds over the legs and falling over a cushioned seat, a bas-relief below showing a bodhisattva surrounded by devotees, framed by two lion legs with drapery in between
Christie's New York, 20th September 2007, lot 231.
This image of the Buddha clad in robes of draping folds and seated with his hands gently resting in his lap epitomizes the classical style of sculpture coming from the ancient region of Gandhara. Spanning from the 1st through the 5th centuries C.E., the ancient region of Gandharan comprised of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and held a vital political and cultural position along the Silk Routes.
The long and dynamic history of the region included epic conquerors, including Darius (550-486 B.C.E.), Alexander the Great (356- 323 B.C.E.) and Menander (342/41 -290 B.C.E.), all of who expanded the Hellenic worldview across the territory. In 60 C.E., when the Kushans conquered the region, their political and economic prowess combined with the refined philosophies of the local Indic Buddhist religion marked an apex of political, religious and cultural syncretism for nearly four centuries largely influencing distant regions in both Central Asia and China.
The Greco-Roman style, characterized by a symmetry of form, blended seamlessly with the spiritual philosophies of the Mahayana Buddhists. The ideals of human beauty and proportion within the Classical world were easily assimilated to the religious aims of the Mahayana Buddhists, whose ultimate nirvana lay in their practices of selfless service to humanity. At the heart of these teachings was the example of the Buddha, who achieved enlightenment and dedicated his life thereafter to teaching others the path to attain nirvana.
The seated Buddha is the most iconic image of the Gandharan artistic canon, integrating the proportions of the Classical style with the internal meditative equilibrium achieved by Shakyamuni Buddha. The undulating waves of hair rising into a prominent top-knot, the almond-shaped eyes and rounded face framed in a halo, the fall of the drapery over the body and legs, the restful posture of meditation, all seen in this fine example, are hallmarks of Gandharan style. Another example of this form, showing similarities in the drapery, rounded face and parallel iconography in the frieze below, which shows a bodhisattva flanked by worshippers, is illustrated in W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, London, 1996, p. 22, cat. no. 24.