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Lot Essay
The present figure may represent a manifestation of the bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara. The origins and importance of Avalokiteshvara and other bodhisattvas were developed with the rise of Mahayana Buddhism; he represents the compassion of all Buddhas. Alongside the Buddha and the bodhisattva Maitreya, Avalokiteshvara is considered one of the principle deities of early Gandharan Buddhism.
Depicting an unidentified bodhisattva in the regal dress of an Indian prince, the figure captures the spiritual enlightenment of a semi-divine being who has postponed nirvana in order to act as a compassionate guide to those seeking enlightenment on earth. His vestments include a foliate torque, a rope-work necklace, and a cord with cylindrical amulet boxes of a type still in use in South Asia. The heavy folds of his sanghati display the naturalistic treatment of drapery characteristic of the Gandharan period that is a holdover from the earlier Greco-Roman influence in the region.
The present figure was initially collected by Edward Durrell Stone, an architect who’s best known works include important commissions in South Asia, among them the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi, the Islamabad presidential complex, the WAPDA House in Lahore, as well as several other important government buildings built during Ayub Khan’s term as the President of Pakistan. John Crews Rainey had assisted with the interiors designs for many of these important commissions, and from their time in Pakistan, the two architects together developed a great eye and passion for the ancient art of Gandhara, building a collection of their own on display of their New York City homes. The Gandharan works featured prominently in Stone and Rainey’s interior design, as showcase by profiles in Architectural Digest and the Social Register Observer. The present figure is displayed on a custom built pedestal designed by Harvey Probber, the esteemed American furniture designer.
Depicting an unidentified bodhisattva in the regal dress of an Indian prince, the figure captures the spiritual enlightenment of a semi-divine being who has postponed nirvana in order to act as a compassionate guide to those seeking enlightenment on earth. His vestments include a foliate torque, a rope-work necklace, and a cord with cylindrical amulet boxes of a type still in use in South Asia. The heavy folds of his sanghati display the naturalistic treatment of drapery characteristic of the Gandharan period that is a holdover from the earlier Greco-Roman influence in the region.
The present figure was initially collected by Edward Durrell Stone, an architect who’s best known works include important commissions in South Asia, among them the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi, the Islamabad presidential complex, the WAPDA House in Lahore, as well as several other important government buildings built during Ayub Khan’s term as the President of Pakistan. John Crews Rainey had assisted with the interiors designs for many of these important commissions, and from their time in Pakistan, the two architects together developed a great eye and passion for the ancient art of Gandhara, building a collection of their own on display of their New York City homes. The Gandharan works featured prominently in Stone and Rainey’s interior design, as showcase by profiles in Architectural Digest and the Social Register Observer. The present figure is displayed on a custom built pedestal designed by Harvey Probber, the esteemed American furniture designer.