Gandhara Schist Great standing Buddha in slate-schist – Gandharan art, Kushan period (Huge!) - 114 cm
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Current bid
€ 1,234
Reserve price not met
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 35,000 - € 50,000
 | €1,234 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €1 |
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Gandharan schist standing Buddha from the Kushan period (late 2nd–early 3rd century CE), 114 cm high and 42 cm wide (20 cm deep), in good condition with an official certificate of authenticity; provenance from a private collection in Belgium.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Large standing Buddha sculpture in slate, deriving from Gandhāran art of the Kushan period, stylistically dated to the late 2nd to early 3rd century CE.
The figure exhibits the major characteristics of Gandharan Buddhist sculpture: serene face, uṣṇīṣa, ūrṇā, elongated earlobes, and ample monastic robes treated with deep successive undulations. The left hand preserved holds the edge of the mantle; the right hand, now missing, was very likely raised in the abhayamudrā gesture of protection, in line with the principal known standing Buddha types from Gandhāra.
The work is carved from a single block of slate. The reverse, deliberately less finished, belongs to the older conception of sculpture. The ancient pedestal preserves, notably, a floral rosette decoration, a motif well documented in the ornamental vocabulary of Gandhāra. Stylistic study places the work with the major productions of central Gandhāra and the Peshawar basin, notably the artistic milieu of Takht-i-Bāhī, Sahrī-Bahlol, Charsadda and Jamālgarhī, without a precise site provenance being claimable.
Good state of preservation for an archaeological sculpture of this antiquity. Significant losses and ancient cracks visible, notably on the right arm and at the pedestal. Examination of the work has revealed neither modern sculptural reconstruction, nor puttying or restoration intended to recreate the missing parts. Modern display plinth.
Provenance: old collection of R. M., Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, acquired between 1979 and 2009; then by descent to Marie-Anne Lefevre in 2023. A provenance document accompanies the work.
The sculpture has undergone a thorough study combining material examination, scientific bibliography, and comparisons maintained notably at the British Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is accompanied by its certificate of authenticity and expertise issued by Olivier Maréchal – MIMOSA SA.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2w55vt8utm0lwkfn7fkin/ANkSk5Hsc9hArH1ly4kn7F0?rlkey=71uqt9hul74hthur3vv6oss0e&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateLarge standing Buddha sculpture in slate, deriving from Gandhāran art of the Kushan period, stylistically dated to the late 2nd to early 3rd century CE.
The figure exhibits the major characteristics of Gandharan Buddhist sculpture: serene face, uṣṇīṣa, ūrṇā, elongated earlobes, and ample monastic robes treated with deep successive undulations. The left hand preserved holds the edge of the mantle; the right hand, now missing, was very likely raised in the abhayamudrā gesture of protection, in line with the principal known standing Buddha types from Gandhāra.
The work is carved from a single block of slate. The reverse, deliberately less finished, belongs to the older conception of sculpture. The ancient pedestal preserves, notably, a floral rosette decoration, a motif well documented in the ornamental vocabulary of Gandhāra. Stylistic study places the work with the major productions of central Gandhāra and the Peshawar basin, notably the artistic milieu of Takht-i-Bāhī, Sahrī-Bahlol, Charsadda and Jamālgarhī, without a precise site provenance being claimable.
Good state of preservation for an archaeological sculpture of this antiquity. Significant losses and ancient cracks visible, notably on the right arm and at the pedestal. Examination of the work has revealed neither modern sculptural reconstruction, nor puttying or restoration intended to recreate the missing parts. Modern display plinth.
Provenance: old collection of R. M., Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, acquired between 1979 and 2009; then by descent to Marie-Anne Lefevre in 2023. A provenance document accompanies the work.
The sculpture has undergone a thorough study combining material examination, scientific bibliography, and comparisons maintained notably at the British Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is accompanied by its certificate of authenticity and expertise issued by Olivier Maréchal – MIMOSA SA.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2w55vt8utm0lwkfn7fkin/ANkSk5Hsc9hArH1ly4kn7F0?rlkey=71uqt9hul74hthur3vv6oss0e&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
Gandhara
Century/timeframe
fin du IIe – début du IIIe siècle
Name of object
Great standing Buddha in slate-schist – Gandharan art, Kushan period (Huge!)
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2025
Material
Schist
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
114 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1979
Width
42 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
20 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
