A green schist figure of a Buddha

SWAT VALLEY, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY

Details

A green schist figure of a Buddha
Swat Valley, circa 3rd century
Carved seated in an architectural niche over a diaper base, his right hand raised in abhaya mudra, his hair tied in a topknot and with the branches of the Bodhi tree forming a canopy
17 in. (43.1 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The branches of the Bodhi tree above forming a canopy relate to the moment of enlightenment, as do the stylized flowerheads on the base, that stand for the flowers that the gods rained down on him; for the latter, see A. Foucher, Journal Asiatique, 1903, 2, p. 219, n. 1.

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