Important Notice

MATHURA, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY
Mottled Red Sandstone
9.5 in (24.1 cm) high

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The J C Tandan Collection
Thence by descent

"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." (Pal, Norton Simon Vol. I, p. 23)

By the 3rd century, Mathura was the centre for the development and spread of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Sculptures from the Kushan dynasty were marked by well defined features. The arched eyebrows, circular tilak, lotus-shaped eyes, sharp nose and full lips of this deity lend him a pleasant countenance. The heavy earrings and elaborate headgear are typical of the period. The headgear is styled as an elegant cockade, with braids encircling it.

Important works in this style exist in the collection of the Government Museum, Mathura; the National Museum, New Delhi; and in the Virginia Museum, which was formerly in the collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck.

MATHURA, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY
Mottled Red Sandstone
9.5 in (24.1 cm) high

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The J C Tandan Collection
Thence by descent

"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." (Pal, Norton Simon Vol. I, p. 23)

By the 3rd century, Mathura was the centre for the development and spread of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Sculptures from the Kushan dynasty were marked by well defined features. The arched eyebrows, circular tilak, lotus-shaped eyes, sharp nose and full lips of this deity lend him a pleasant countenance. The heavy earrings and elaborate headgear are typical of the period. The headgear is styled as an elegant cockade, with braids encircling it.

Important works in this style exist in the collection of the Government Museum, Mathura; the National Museum, New Delhi; and in the Virginia Museum, which was formerly in the collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck.