Page 10 - Bonhams, Indian and Himalayan Art New York July 23, 2020

809
A SCHIST HEAD OF SIDDHARTHA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY
13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm) high
$50,000 - 70,000

犍陀羅 約三世紀 片岩悉達多太子頭像

This large and resplendent head of a bodhisattva has a solemn and authoritative expression,
conveyed through a strong, pointed chin, wavy mustache, and downcast eyes with deeply
recessed lids. It is carved from stone full of tiny mica crystals that glisten under a hard light.
The glorious turban remains intact, despite some overall weathering, providing a very rare
opportunity to observe ancient haute couture. It gives an exacting rendition of a Kushan
turban, complete with restraining bands tied at the sides, flower receptacles, cut and set
stones, plaques in the form of Hellenistic leogryphs and Indic makara heads, and ruffled fabric
surrounding a splendid crest depicting a mythic eagle (Garuda) whisking away a maiden as two
warriors fight him off.
The subject of the turban’s crest derives from the Jataka tales, stories about the previous
lives of the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, while he was still a bodhisattva: a Buddha
in-potentiate. There are a number of jatakas that feature Garuda, the King of the Birds, which
scholars have pointed to as the source. Traditionally, the emblem has been viewed as an
amalgamation of the perpetual feud between Garuda and the nagas, mythic serpents here
being anthropomorphized as a clan (cf. Czuma, Kushan Sculpture, Cleveland, 1985, p.182).
Other jatakas guide alternative interpretations, such as jatakas 327 & 360 wherein the beloved
wife of a Benares king is kidnapped by an impulsive Garuda, who later relents and returns
her after learning of the ceaseless heartache he caused. Depending on the episode, the
bodhisattva is identified either as the king or Garuda. Why this subject from the jatakas was
chosen to represent certain bodhisattvas has yet to be fully explored, however its redolence of
the Greek myth of Ganymede might explain why the motif successfully took root in Gandhara’s
cosmopolitan civilization (ibid.). Nonetheless, given the jatakas refer to the historic Buddha’s
experiences as a bodhisattva, it follows that this insignia was probably used to depict images of
Siddhartha.
The vast amount of Gandharan bodhisattva sculptures have damaged or lost turban crests so
it is impossible to determine how popular the Garuda motif was. However, it is the subject of
at least three known free-standing sculptures, held by the Peshawar Museum (Luczanits (ed.),
Gandhara, Mainz, 2008, p.279, no.210), the British Museum (Zwalf, Gandharan Sculpture,
London, 1990, p.67, no.106), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1980.325). Its appearance
as a bodhisattva’s turban crest is repeated in a partially damaged head and as a fragment, both
of which are in the Central Museum, Lahore (Luczanits (ed.), op. cit., pp.278-9, nos.208-9).
And most significantly, the emblem is worn by the famous, complete “Foucher Bodhisattva” in
the Musée Guimet, which is named after “the father of Gandharan studies”, A. Foucher, who
collected it on an expedition ending in 1925 (Auboyer, Rarities of the Musée Guimet, New York,
1975, p.25, no.1). The Foucher Bodhisattva’s mustachioed face and turban are well matched
to the present sculpture. The two even wear the same type of leogryph earrings. The Foucher
Bodhisattva stands with his left hand on his hip in a distinctive pose contrasting with typical
representations of the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya. This is another reason
(beyond the Garuda crest) for why the Foucher Bodhisattva has been identified as Siddhartha.
Thus, the Foucher Bodhisattva and the present lot are but two of a tiny handful of Gandharan
sculptures that can be more assuredly identified as representing the prince who became the
Buddha of our time.

Provenance
Private Dutch Collection by 1958
Thence by descent

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