A GRAY SCHIST TORSO OF A BODHISATTVA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, KUSHAN PERIOD, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY

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A GRAY SCHIST TORSO OF A BODHISATTVA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, KUSHAN PERIOD, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY Finely carved, the standing bodhisattva wearing voluminous robes arranged in deeply undercut, cascading folds across the torso and legs, the long scarf held in both hands and draped in a broad curve before the body. The figure is richly adorned with layered necklaces and a foliate armlet, its floral motif repeated on the architectural column of the pedestal below. The feet are clad in finely delineated braided slippers and rest upon a projecting ledge above a recessed narrative panel carved with a central seated figure of Buddha Shakyamuni flanked by attendants beneath an architectural framework. Dimensions: Height 49 cm (excl. stand), 50.5 cm (incl. stand) Before he became a Buddha, Shakyamuni was a bodhisattva who lived a sheltered life as a prince in a royal palace. Shakyamuni prior to his enlightenment was the model for the class of divine beings known as bodhisattvas-eventual Buddhas who spread compassion and other virtues in the world, and who served as ideals for the princely patrons who supported the Buddhist monasteries of Gandhara. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, bodhisattvas took on a new and profound importance in Buddhist worship. While earlier practice had focused on the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni, and for the populist masses, worship of the Buddha’s relics as enshrined in the stupa, the sutras of Mahayana Buddhism expanded on the role of bodhisattvas as cult deities worthy of worship in their own right. Perhaps the two most important of the bodhisattvas within the new forms of worship were Maitreya, considered to be the Buddha of the Future, and Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Literature comparison: Compare a related figure of the bodhisattva Maitreya, Gandhara, dated to the 3rd century, 163.2 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1991.75. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 7 October 2019, lot 913 Price: HKD 1,100,625 or approx. EUR 139,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the garments, torso, and jewelry. Note the larger size (80 cm).

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