Γανδάρα Μία γύψινη προτομή του BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI - 39.5 cm

A STUCCO BUST OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA

Description

Kushan period, ca. 3rd-5th century.

Well modeled with the hands resting atop each other in dhyana mudra, dressed in heavy robes with richly carved pleats that drape the contours of his stout body, his face with a serene expression marked by heavy-lidded eyes and painted lips forming a subtle smile, the wavy hair secured over the domed ushnisha, all backed by a large circular nimbus.

Provenance

Collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, and thence by descent to Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg. A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by Jacques Grosbusch, dated 31 July 2024, and confirming the above, accompanies this lot.

Condition

Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, obvious losses, chips, nicks, scratches, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.

Weight: 7.800 kg

In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying a sense of emotional presence exemplified in this large-scale figure of Buddha. With idealized proportions, beatific expression, and flowing robes, the serene figure is the embodiment of compassion.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related stucco figure of a seated Buddha, Afghanistan, Gandhara, Hadda, dated to the late Kushan period, 36.9 cm high, in the Cleaveland Museum of Art, accession number 1967.39. Compare a closely related meditating Buddha, Pakistan, circa 3rd-5th century, 50.8 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1984.486.6.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 September 2014, lot 86
Price: USD 10,625 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco figure of Buddha, Ancient region of Gandhara, 4th-5th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar treatment of garments, expression, and nimbus. Note the smaller size (27.9 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2009, lot 1247
Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 21,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare stucco figure of a bodhisattva, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and material. Note the closely related size (40 cm) as well as the different pose and subject.


lien video

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bh0juz1pvc807uhiyrkx7/AM5tox4IdL1I49ls_2xCU5w?rlkey=sqmnw06gb9m762zwzef74piym&dl=0