Page 86 - Bonhams Image of Devotion Hong Kong December 2, 2021

1036
A SCHIST FIGURE OF BUDDHA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY
122 cm (48 in.) high

HKD7,000,000 - 9,000,000

犍陀羅 約三世紀 片岩佛陀像

This majestic figure of Buddha exudes both power and grace. His idealized face
and classic, rippling hair rising over the wide ushnisha are framed by the circular
nimbus affirming his divinity.

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, the sculptors drew on Mediterranean
artistic 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 was once an important center for trade and
religious activities. Carved stone monuments and iconic statuary were created
for Buddhist patrons while drawing on Greco-Roman sculptural traditions. The
present work is one such example, incorporating the emphasis on naturalism,
seen in the treatment of his heavy, monastic robe wrapping around his neck in
thick layers and forming U-shaped folds on his legs with a convincing sense of
gravity. Compare with examples published in Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan,
1957, p.111, fig.207 and in the Tokyo National Museum (Kurita, Gandharan Art,
vol.I, 2003, p.78, pl. 201).

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