Page 15 - Christies Indian and Himalayan Art Sept 2015

66 While the overall positioning of the body is congruent throughout
AN IMPORTANT AND RARE MOTTLED the kaparda group, the present example exhibits a greater degree of
SANDSTONE FIGURE OF BUDDHA naturalism. For example, compare the drapery with a standing fgure in
INDIA, UTTAR PRADESH, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, the Sarnath Museum (J.G.Williams, The Art of Gupta India, fg.6). The
LATE 1ST/EARLY 2ND CENTURY fne pleats in the sleeve are carved to protrude from the surface, instead
of being incised into the arm, convincingly maintaining the volume and
Exquisitely and sensitively carved with one hand raised in modeling of the body and garment. The naturalistic modeling of the
abhayamudra and the other held at his waist, dressed in a thin sanghati body continues across a muscular chest and slight protrusion of the
that reveals the impressive modeling of the torso and thighs, and belly over the belted waist before sloping into gently rounded hips. The
also falls in fne pleats off the arm and in-between the legs, the face contours of the body are all beautifully revealed by the expertly carved
beautifully carved with large, rounded eyes and full lips, topped by a drapery, which transitions from being smoothly pulled over the fgure’s
simple ushnisha, the remains of a halo with scalloped edge visible frm skin to fne pleats in areas of negative space, augmenting the
54 in. (137.2 cm.) high fgure’s exemplary physique.

Estimate upon request The artist has ingeniously imbued movement into this fgure through the
repeated diagonals in his composition. Notice how the Buddha’s body
PROVENANCE: is exposed by the thin fabric that drapes diagonally across his chest,
the line of which continues into the belt tied at his right hip, the loose
La Reine Margot, Paris, 17 July 1965, ends exaggerating the graceful curve of the upper leg. This oblique
reported as being acquired from an Asian royal family movement is echoed in his forearms and in the sash that falls from his
Private collection, Paris, acquired in 1981 wrist and across his thighs, creating dynamism juxtaposed against the
fgure’s quiet repose. A portion of the background survives between the
This highly important and superbly well-preserved fgure of a standing raised arm and torso, which indicates there was once a scalloped nimbus
Buddha adds signifcantly to the limited corpus of Kushan era sculptures present behind the fgure; see J.P.Vogel, Catalogue of the Archaeological
known as the kaparda group. Numbering nine in total, with three dated Museum at Mathura, 1910, pl. IIIC.
by inscription, the kaparda Buddhas were produced only during the reign
of the great Kushan king, Kanishka (r. 78 – 101 AD). Rendered with an This sculpture is among the fnest and most complete of the
exquisite balance of naturalism, majesty, approachability, and sense of kaparda Buddhas. A paramount example of an extremely rare type
divine authority, the standing kaparda Buddhas are unifed as a group by that was produced only for a very limited time in the royally sponsored
their cohesive style and iconography. Each is depicted standing in a fully atelier of the Kushan court, the standing Buddha is a masterpiece
frontal posture with the weight distributed equally across both legs; arms among masterpieces.
are positioned such that the left hand rests at the hip supporting a fold
of heavy drapery, and the right is bent at the elbow with the hand in the 13
open-palmed gesture of abhayamudra; the regal face is surmounted by a
smooth curve representing the crown of the Buddha’s shaven head, and a
shell-shaped topknot to which the group owes its name, “kaparda.” Like
other Kushan sculpture, these fgures are made from a red colored local
sandstone, known as Sikri sandstone after a prominent quarry. While the
sculptures were likely painted for their original usage, the sculptors seem
to have paid careful attention to the qualities of the block with which they
worked. For example, in this fgure the artist has skillfully reserved the
portion of stone that has large buff-colored sections for the verso, which
was likely not readily visible. By the second quarter of the second century
AD, after the conclusion of Kanishka’s reign, the kaparda-style arrangement
of hair would disappear completely, replaced in subsequent eras by the
rows of matted locks that appear in various styles throughout the rest of
the history of Indian art.

The kaparda Buddhas are among the greatest works representing the
fourishing of stone sculpture that took place during the Kushan era (ca.
1st – 3rd centuries AD), when the ruling dynasty sponsored the production
of statues that merged royal portraiture with Buddhist iconography. Rather
than the highly stylized proportions of yaksha and yakshi fgures that
were favored in the preceding Shunga era, Kushan sculpture cultivated
an idealized naturalism that would continue to reverberate in Indian art,
particularly evident during the Gupta era. Unlike Gupta sculpture, however,
Kushan Buddhas of Kanishka’s period have a remarkable sense of presence
that hovers between the earthly and the transcendent. Impressive in both
scale and technical prowess, the kaparda Buddhas represent a pivotal
moment within the early history of Indian art.

The present example is monumental in size and extremely fnely carved.
His face is compassionate and attentive, aware of his own majestic
presence. Compare with a seated fgure in the Mathura Museum (J.Kumar,
Masterpieces of Mathura Museum, 1989, pp.50-51, pl.19); both faces
are naturalistically observed, with heavily lidded eyes balanced by raised
cheekbones that subtly express a pleasant countenance; long, pendulous
earlobes extending from the eyebrows to the curve of the chin, and a
beautifully feshy neck that effectively transitions into the fgure’s broad
shoulders. The present Buddha has an urna which rests in the smooth dip
between his expressive eyebrows, the continuous curve of which mimics
his slightly undulating hairline above. This consecutive element is absent
in most of the other kaparda fgures, giving this Buddha a particularly
harmonious expression.