Page 148 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

3066
A SCHIST FIGURE OF A BODHISATTVA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA,
3RD/4TH CENTURY
24 in. (61 cm) high

$30,000 - 50,000
犍陀羅 三/四世紀 片岩菩薩立像

With his nimbus and urna conveying his
divine nature, this finely executed sculpture
represents a bodhisattva. His looped topknot
with beaded ornament is a hairstyle common
to images of Maitreya, the future Buddha.
A closely comparable figure of Maitreya,
identified by the water flask in his left hand, is
in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art (accession number: 13.96.17).

Naturalism pervades his subtle contrapposto
and bare musculature. The elegant folds of
his robe reflect the aesthetic influences of the
Mediterranean. In contrast, the articulation of
his face deviates from this realism – his eyes,
brows, and mouth are rendered in an idealistic
manner, emphasizing the transcendental and
compassionate nature of the bodhisattva,
striving for the enlightenment of all sentient
beings.

Provenance
The Ouida Hill Estate
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 September 2000,
lot 113