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Description

A MONUMENTAL GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF MAITREYA A MONUMENTAL GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF MAITREYA India, style of ancient Gandhara. Standing on a rectangular pedestal with two large floral medallions separated by three Hellenistic columns to the front and a sheaf of wheat to one side. He is wearing a diaphanous dhoti with finely carved folds, tied at the waist with a rope belt, billowing scarves and a pair of sandals. He holds the iconic kamandalu, here in the form of a water flask, mostly hidden in his remaining hand and suspended on a thick rope. His serene face shows heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes below gently arched brows, centered by a raised circular urna, all above a broad nose and full bow-shaped lips. His hair is neatly arranged in wavy locks and secured by a beaded headband. The head is backed by the remnants of a once circular nimbus. Provenance: From a noted private collection in the United Kingdom and thence by descent. Rosebery's, London, 24 June 2014, lot 2032, sold for GBP 11,960 or EUR 21,800 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing) and described as " A large grey schist figure of a standing bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century". A noted private collector, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, showing ancient wear, soil encrustation, extensive signs of weathering and erosion with corresponding losses. There are a few minor structural cracks, some of which may have old fills. There is also a single perforation below the left shoulder. The left hand and most of the halo are lost. Generally, this would all be as expected for an ancient schist sculpture. Weight: 167.3 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 165.5 cm (incl. stand) and 140 cm (excl. stand) Mounted on a fitted stand. (2) Maitreya is considered the Buddha of the future. When the dharma is forgotten on Earth, he will descend from the Tushita Heaven, where he resides, to be born in our realm as the next Buddha. His iconic water vessel, the kamandalu, is found in many different contexts within Indian sculpture, but is almost always a symbol of fertility and life. It is an apt visual icon, therefore, for Maitreya's role as a progenitor of future peace and order. When he is born on Earth, Maitreya is depicted in rich robes similar to that of the historical Gautama Buddha, prior to his renunciation of worldly goods. His vestments in the present portrayal include a foliate collar, the main medallion closely resembling the two found on the pedestal, a rope-work necklace with (remnants of) makara-head pendant, and a cord with an amulet box (mostly lost) of a type still in use in South Asia. In the Gandharan period, Maitreya was considered as the most important Bodhisattva.

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A MONUMENTAL GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF MAITREYA A MONUMENTAL GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF MAITREYA India, style of ancient Gandhara. Standing on a rectangular pedestal with two large floral medallions separated by three Hellenistic columns to the front and a sheaf of wheat to one side. He is wearing a diaphanous dhoti with finely carved folds, tied at the waist with a rope belt, billowing scarves and a pair of sandals. He holds the iconic kamandalu, here in the form of a water flask, mostly hidden in his remaining hand and suspended on a thick rope. His serene face shows heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes below gently arched brows, centered by a raised circular urna, all above a broad nose and full bow-shaped lips. His hair is neatly arranged in wavy locks and secured by a beaded headband. The head is backed by the remnants of a once circular nimbus. Provenance: From a noted private collection in the United Kingdom and thence by descent. Rosebery's, London, 24 June 2014, lot 2032, sold for GBP 11,960 or EUR 21,800 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing) and described as " A large grey schist figure of a standing bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century". A noted private collector, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, showing ancient wear, soil encrustation, extensive signs of weathering and erosion with corresponding losses. There are a few minor structural cracks, some of which may have old fills. There is also a single perforation below the left shoulder. The left hand and most of the halo are lost. Generally, this would all be as expected for an ancient schist sculpture. Weight: 167.3 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 165.5 cm (incl. stand) and 140 cm (excl. stand) Mounted on a fitted stand. (2) Maitreya is considered the Buddha of the future. When the dharma is forgotten on Earth, he will descend from the Tushita Heaven, where he resides, to be born in our realm as the next Buddha. His iconic water vessel, the kamandalu, is found in many different contexts within Indian sculpture, but is almost always a symbol of fertility and life. It is an apt visual icon, therefore, for Maitreya's role as a progenitor of future peace and order. When he is born on Earth, Maitreya is depicted in rich robes similar to that of the historical Gautama Buddha, prior to his renunciation of worldly goods. His vestments in the present portrayal include a foliate collar, the main medallion closely resembling the two found on the pedestal, a rope-work necklace with (remnants of) makara-head pendant, and a cord with an amulet box (mostly lost) of a type still in use in South Asia. In the Gandharan period, Maitreya was considered as the most important Bodhisattva.

Estimate 3 000 - 6 000 EUR
Starting price 3 000 EUR

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For sale on Wednesday 04 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
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