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HEAD OF BUDDHA


"Well into the first century of the Common Era the Buddha is not represented in human form... By the second century C. E. significant changes occurred in religion and art. The Buddha image had become commonplace certainly at Mathura, although in the earliest sculptures he is characterized as a bodhisattva (a potential Buddha) rather than the Buddha." (Pratapaditya Pal, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum: Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, New Haven: Yale University Press; First Edition, 2003, p. 23)

Around the 2nd century AD, the Kushanas, a line of kings from Central Asia, established themselves in South Asia. Under Kanishka, their fifth and most famous ruler, the Kushan Empire extended from Ujjain, Mathura and Sarnath, across the Hindu-Kush to Afghanistan and Bactria. Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, which had emerged as a hub of art and sculpture from the 2nd century BC, flourished under the Kushanas.

This 2nd century red sandstone sculpture depicting the Buddha is from the earlier phase of the Kushan Empire, and is indicative of the region's great artistic traditions of the time.







  Lot 1 of 70  

WINTER LIVE AUCTION: INDIAN ART
15 DECEMBER 2021
Estimate



Winning Bid
Rs 3,84,000
$5,154
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)


DETAILS

Head of Buddha
Uttar Pradesh, 2nd century
Red sandstone
Height: 5.75 in (14.5 cm)
Width: 3.5 in (9.2 cm)
Depth: 2.5 in (6.5 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

The back of the sculpture is mounted on a stand with two screws, measuring 5.5 x 2.25 x 2 in (13.7 x 6 x 5 cm)

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Mumbai

Category: Antiquty


 









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