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A GREY SCHIST BUDDHAPADA ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 2ND-3RD CENTURY 19 ? (49.5 cm.) high
Sotheby's New York, 20 March 1997, lot 36.
The historical Buddha was first revered through emblems that evoke his presence rather than through figurative images, as The Buddha himself professed the danger of attachment to icons in his own pursuit of enlightenment. Thus, the present aniconic symbol can be thought to represent the early, foundational principles of Buddhist philosophy and the Four Noble Truths.
The chakras on each of footprint represent that philosophy and its power. Along with a bodhi tree, an empty throne, a riderless horse, and a parasol, this symbolic depiction was one of a tradition of Buddhist art that emerged from the Mauryan Empire of India and persisted through the Graeco-Buddhist developments throughout the ancient region of Gandhara.
Compare the current work with another grey schist buddhapada from the ancient region of Gandhara, see lot 318.