GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY

Details

A green schist relief of the Triratna adored
Gandhara, 2nd/3rd Century
With a carved depiction of the Buddha's footprints resting on a stepped plinth, surmounted by a chakra and the three lotus blossoms of the triratna, with kneeling supplicants on both sides
8¾ in. (21.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Julian Sherrier, London
Private Collection, Europe, before 1988

Literature

I. Kurita, Gandharan Art, vol. I, 2003, p. 153, fig. 290

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Lot Essay

The three lotus flowers refer to the three jewels of Buddhism - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - and form the Triratna symbol when found in combination with the Dharma wheel. This symbol, along with footprints, was an early means of representing the Buddha in place of anthropomorphic forms. This is a rare example of its type; for a comparable relief, see I. Kurita, Gandharan Art, vol. II, 1988, p. 255, fig. 770.

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