Lot 2
2
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA
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THE PROPERTY OF AN ENGLISH GENTLEMAN
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA

GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY

Details
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF A SEATED BUDDHA
GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY
Dhyanasana on a lotiform base, his hands clasped in dharmachakramudra, the robes flowing over his left shoulder and spilling onto the base in folds, his face with a meditative expression
17 ¾in. (45cm.) high
Provenance
Acquired in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1958 and exported to the UK later that year

Lot Essay

The representation of the Buddha as a teacher is an early and iconic image. The gesture of the hands in dharmachakramudra is symbolic of the Buddha's turning the Wheel of Law during his first sermon, which set his teachings or dharma in motion. Following his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha went into a park near Sarnath and preached his first sermon to five ascetics who then became the first Buddhist monks. The delicate folds indicating the sheerness of the robe, the features of the face and the wavy locks are particularly well carved here.

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