GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY

Details

A rare gray schist relief with the marriage of Siddhartha
Gandhara, 2nd/3rd Century
With Siddartha at right, dressed in a sanghati and adorned with princely jewels facing Yasodhara at center, herself dressed in a long sanghati and fanned with a palm leaf by a female attendant figure, with three further figures at left, including a seated Brahmin who tends the flame and water jugs at the couple's feet
8½ in. (21.6 cm.) wide

Provenance

Shelley and Donald Rubin Collection, New York, since 2000

Sale room notice

Please note this work was published in I. Kurita, Gandharan Art, vol. 1, 2003, p.281, fig. 605.

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Lot Essay

This relief offers a glimpse of the Buddha as Prince Siddhartha before renouncing his title and leaving to achieve enlightenment. In the Indian tradition, the marriage ceremony is carried out at the bride's house; the couple join hands, sprinkle holy water, and walk around the flame. Actual depictions of the Buddha's marriage are quite rare. For a comparable example, see I. Kurita, Gandharan Art, vol. I, 2003, p. 60, fig. 116.

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