A large and important bronze Stupa
A large and important bronze Stupa

GANDHARA, 3RD/4TH CENTURY

細節
A large and important bronze Stupa
Gandhara, 3rd/4th Century
The square base molded in relief with pairs of seated Buddhas on each side alternating with columns, with further columns rising from each corner supporting seated lions, the domed central element incorporating niches in the four Cardinal Directions interspersed with elephant heads in relief, the superstructure supported by struts of standing Bodhisattvas with seven parasols incised with lotus leaves and with suspended chains, the finial with five further parasols, including a spherical gold reliquary containing two smaller silver boxes and covers
51.5/8 in. (131 cm.) high
出版
No other bronze stupa of this large size and type appears to be recorded.

拍品專文

The stupa is the principal monument of Buddhism, initially as a burial mound of Buddha Shakyamuni and subsequently evolving into a model for reliquaries and a symbol of the cosmos.
No other bronze stupa of this type and large size appears to be recorded. It is constructed from thinly cast elements and sheet metal friezes worked in repouss and joined with rivets.
Compare a bronze model of a stupa in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, M. Lerner and S. Kossak, The Arts of South and Southeast Asia, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994, fig. 10, with four columns supporting miniature stupas; and a schist stupa in the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, see P. Pal, A Collecting Odyssey, 1997, cat. no. 92, also with lion capitals. The addition of these columns integrates the more ancient pillar cult, as exemplified by the lion pillars (at Mathura) during the reign of Ashoka, with the stupa. The lions are also symbolic of Buddha himself, whose sermons are likened to a lion's roar.
The five uppermost parasols, symbol of royalty, may jointly refer to the five Tathagatas, the five precious gems and the five elements.
For a discussion of related gold and silver reliquaries, placed in schist stupa chambers, see S. Czuma, Kushan Sculpture, Images from Early India, 1985, cat. no. 82, p. 166-68.