A Gray Schist Relief of the Adoration of the Stupa

GANDHARA, 3RD CENTURY

Details

A Gray Schist Relief of the Adoration of the Stupa
Gandhara, 3rd century
Centered by a stupa with vedika and tall chattra in deep relief, a bodhisattva clad in a long, flowing sanghati, the hair pulled up into a topknot and backed by a halo on the right, with a balding bhiksu at left
11¼ in. (28.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Julian Sherrier Collection, London, formed between early 1940s-1972

Literature

I. Kurita, Gandharan Art I: The Buddha's Life Story, 2003, pl. no. 546, p. 262

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Lot Essay

The haloed figure may represent Shakyamuni which would identify the stupa as the Stupa of the Past. Buddhism places precedence on the right side of the body over the left, therefore, a worshipper should always present his or her right side to the stupa. The monk with his back to the viewer thus circumambulates in a clockwise direction; the robe he wears exposes the right shoulder as a sign of respect.

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