Important Notice

Gandhara, Kushan Period, 3rd Century CE
Grey Schist
Height: 6 in (15.2 cm)
Width: 15 in (38 cm)

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY-NON-EXPORTABLE

Provenance: An Important Private Collection, Mumbai


This fragment depicts a tale from the Jataka, the Buddhist canon that preaches people through its slice-of-life fables. Dated between 300 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., these tales depict various animal and human incarnations of Buddha, who exhibits his virtues during the course of each tale. This schist is believed to originate from the region of Gandhara, now part of north-west Pakistan. The art that sprouted from this region flourished during the reign of the Kushans. Buddhist imagery dominated in this period, and the Kushans are credited with being one of the earliest clans to give human form to Buddha.

The current lot is a remarkable work dating back to the 3rd century C.E., during the Kushan dynasty. Here, human forms populate the schist, engaged in various activities. The structure in the centre appears to be a shrine, and the figures around it seem to worship it. Stylistically, it derives from the rich legacy of the Greco-Roman arts that preceded the Kushan rule. The details are excellently preserved; very little seems to have been lost despite its age.

Schist fragments from the Kushan dynasty that depict Buddha can be found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.


1. "Kushan Empire (ca. 2nd century B.C.- 3rd century A.D.)", Department of Asian Art, from the website of The Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kush/hd_kush.htm Accessed 8 Dec. 2014.

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