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Kushan period. Well carved, standing on a base centered by an open incense burner flanked by a pair of seated and standing worshipers framed by columns. The figure is clad in a voluminous sanghati draped over both shoulders, the folds falling in measured, rhythmic lines. The face is characterized by a bow-shaped mouth, an aquiline nose, and heavy-lidded, downcast eyes conveying a composed expression. Wavy locks of hair are drawn upward over the ushnisha, backed by the circular halo.
Provenance: From the private collection of Marie Louise Alexienne Vanleew (1929-2024), Belgium, acquired in the early 1970s and thence by direct descent to her grandson, the present owner of this lot. A copy of a corresponding provenance letter, issued by the present owner of the lot, will be handed to the winning bidder after full payment has been received.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, structural fissures mostly to the halo, obvious minor losses, scattered nicks, scratches.
Weight: 218 kg
Dimensions: Height 157 cm (excl. stand) and 182 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated stand. (2)
This figure embodies an idealized and transcendent male form. The heavy sanghati delicately models the muscular shoulders, torso, soft belly and rounded thigh; the left knee bends in preparation to step forward. This subtle gesture, along with the undulating folds of the robe, allows one to imagine the fabric fluttering as the Buddha moves. Heavy eyelids frame the almond-shaped eyes, the forehead remains perfectly unlined, and there is no tension in the rosebud mouth. While activated with energy, movement and life, the Buddha is simultaneously in a state of otherworldly tranquility.
With universal appeal among collectors, the Gandharan style is a fascinating and accomplished idiom, testament to the cross-cultural origins and early spread of Buddhist art. Created by ateliers working in the Greco-Roman style that populated the region following Alexander the Great's invasion of modern-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Western China in 327 BCE, they drew on Mediterranean sculptural traditions when catering to the demand from local Buddhist communities for carved stone monuments and iconic statuary. The Gandharan style, in turn, formed the precedent for the earliest Buddhist images in China, via contact and exchange across Central Asian trade routes.
The ancient region of Gandhara, which spanned modern-day northwest Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, was home to a vibrant, cosmopolitan civilization situated at the crossroads of international trade networks linking South Asia, Central Asia, China, and the Mediterranean. Because of its verdant terrain and lucrative trade position, the region fell repeatedly to foreign raids and invaders. The Kushans, originally from Central Asia and already having incorporated elements of Greek culture, established themselves in Gandhara in the early first century CE. Under the Kushan ruler Kanishka (127-151?CE), Gandharan Buddhist art and architecture flourished, resulting in the creation of some of the earliest iconic images of the historical Buddha, such as the present statue.
Expert’s note: The relief carved across the pedestal is of particular significance, transforming the base from a structural support into a vivid record of Gandharan devotional practice. Centered on an open incense burner, the four worshipers evoke the offering of incense and flowers before the sacred image; a closely related pedestal relief in the Musée Guimet is published by Ashwini Lakshminarayanan in Exploring Gandharan Relic Rituals and Veneration II, p. 134, fig. 13. Such figures were commonly intended to represent donors, often accompanied by members of their family or wider kinship group, whose patronage supported the production and installation of Buddhist images. Their placement directly beneath the Buddha enshrines the donors in perpetual devotion before the sacred image, ensuring that the merit generated by their gift endured with the monument itself.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related larger gray schist figure of Buddha, Gandhara, dated to Kushan period, 2nd century, 169 cm high, in the Museum Rietberg, inventory number CNX 92.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 26
Price: EUR 567,375 or approx. EUR 623,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A schist figure of Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, 3rd/4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, and subject. Note the size (147.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2023, lot 357
Price: USD 693,000 or approx. EUR 663,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large and important grey schist figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, ancient region of Gandhara, 3rd-4th century CE
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, stone, and subject. Note the size (125.4 cm).
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