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Lot Essay
The Buddha depicted seated in meditation on a throne showing Buddha at center flanked by devotees and with a plush cushion of kusha grass draped over the edges. Sacred throughout India and associated with amrita, the nectar of immortality, kusha grass is used in traditional Indian medicine. The blades of the kusha grass are sharp, a deterrent for insects and snakes, making it a favorable seat for meditation. According to textual evidence, Buddha remained in a state of meditation and fasting for seven weeks after reaching enlightenment, seated under the Bodhi tree on a bed of grass:
I would grab a bundle of grass for myself, spread it on the vajrasana under the Bodhi tree and sit cross-legged with the body upright. I would practice the asphanaka meditation and stop the inhaling and exhaling of breath and would awake from the meditation once a day: having awoke, I would eat a half grain of sesame and give away another half. I would practice austerities in this form until all devas up to the Akanistha heaven and those of Saha Buddha field would approach, paying homage to me and would be witness to my austerities.
-I. Yamada ed., Karunapundarika, 1968, vol. I, p. 242
Note the skillful manner in which the artist has depicted the softness of the cushion which buckles slightly under Buddha’s weight. His relaxed posture is accentuated by the undulating folds of his robe, which delicately fan out over the edge of his throne creating a canopy over the devotees below. The Buddha’s face is rounded and fleshy giving him a youthfulness which with his gentle posture, conveys his serene nature and inviting presence. Compare present figure with a smaller gray schist figure of a seated Buddha sold at Christie's New York, 15 March 2017, lot 243.
I would grab a bundle of grass for myself, spread it on the vajrasana under the Bodhi tree and sit cross-legged with the body upright. I would practice the asphanaka meditation and stop the inhaling and exhaling of breath and would awake from the meditation once a day: having awoke, I would eat a half grain of sesame and give away another half. I would practice austerities in this form until all devas up to the Akanistha heaven and those of Saha Buddha field would approach, paying homage to me and would be witness to my austerities.
-I. Yamada ed., Karunapundarika, 1968, vol. I, p. 242
Note the skillful manner in which the artist has depicted the softness of the cushion which buckles slightly under Buddha’s weight. His relaxed posture is accentuated by the undulating folds of his robe, which delicately fan out over the edge of his throne creating a canopy over the devotees below. The Buddha’s face is rounded and fleshy giving him a youthfulness which with his gentle posture, conveys his serene nature and inviting presence. Compare present figure with a smaller gray schist figure of a seated Buddha sold at Christie's New York, 15 March 2017, lot 243.