Page 43 - Christies DEVOTION IN STONE Gandharan Art From a Japanese Collection Sept 23 2020 NYC

Depictions of the buddhapada, or footprints of the
Buddha, were one of the early aniconic symbols
used to denote the presence of the Buddha. In
Gandharan art, they are often found alongside
images of the Buddha himself.
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 chakra or wheel represents that philosophy
and its power. Along with a bodhi tree, an
empty throne, a riderless horse, and a parasol,
this symbolic depiction followed the 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.
Buddhapada images such as the current lot
demonstrate the proliferation of the dharma, and
its size conveys the power of Buddhist teachings.
The swastika—an ancient fertility symbol—on the
toes represent immutability, while the triratna
symbol upon the ball of the foot represents the
three jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, dharma,
and sangha.
For a similar buddhapada in the Lahore Museum
collection, see A. Proser, The Buddhist Heritage
of Pakistan, New York, 2011, p. 146, pl. 54. Also
compare the symbology, scale and motif of
the present lot with another contemporaneous
buddhapada in the Yale University Art Gallery
collection (acc. no. 2015.141.1), illustrated in K.
H. Selig-Brown, Eternal Presence: Handprints
and Footprints in Buddhist Art, exh. cat., Katonah
Museum of Art, New York, 2004, 34–35, pl. 1.

Footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapada); Ancient region
of Gandhara, 2nd century CE; Schist; 34 × 49 ¼ in.
(86.36 × 125.1 cm.); Yale University Art Gallery; Gift of
the Rubin-Ladd Foundation under the bequest of Ester
R. Portnow, 2015.141.1.
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