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Lot Essay
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.
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.