GANDHARA

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bodHisaTTva MaïTReYa Head

Ancient Gandhāra region 1st-3rd century Schist Height: 24 cm Provenance: French private collection, before 1970. Price: 28.000 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Christophe Hioco M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E.: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com The Bodhisattva, an image of compassion This schist sculpture depicts the Bodhisattva Maïtreya, one of the most popular in the Buddhist tradition. The Bodhisattva is recognisable by his lākṣa a or Great Man signs, which equate him with a Buddha of the future. These include his cranial protuberance, the uṣ īṣa, as well as his tuft of hair in the middle of his eyebrows, called the ūr ā. These iconographic codes become fixed in the early centuries of our era, at the same time as the first occurrences of anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha appear, thus breaking with a long aniconic tradition.

A new art This paradigm shift originated in the development of a new religious trend, Mahāyāna Buddhism, also known as Great Vehicle Buddhism. Bodhisattvas play a major role in this religious trend, and intervene as intercessors with the faithful. These Buddhas of the future, who delay the moment of their awakening in order to help the devotees in their spiritual quest, particularly favour the growth of this religious current. The latter now reaches a larger number of followers and is no longer reserved for an austere monastic elite. Like Mahāyāna Buddhism, religious art is based on a sensitive approach to representations, playing on the connivance with the faithful. The images of the Bodhisattva embody compassion, and the gentle art thus turns away from the elite. The statuary production of the Gāndhāra, of which this head is a part, covers the fervent religious reality of the early centuries of our era in this region. The sculptors inspire vitality in their works through a very sensitive treatment of flesh and modelling. The aim is to strike the soul of the spectators, to impress them, in a permanent search for the best way to touch the faithful, in particular through the images of the Bodhisattva, full of humanity.

The syncretism of images Maitreya has a regular face, a fine, straight nose, a full chin, and a delicately hemmed mouth topped by a thin, soft, curly head of hair, the strands of which are pulled back from the skull. All these elements are part of Hellenistic art, and testify to the settlement of Greeks in the region.

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His large eyes, with pupils incised in the form of spirals, are placed under prominent superciliary arches, thus contributing to the realism and vivacity of his gaze, in an effort to humanise the religious images. His curly moustache, finely detailed with slight incisions, bears witness to the fashion of the Kuṣā a elite. The latter were often represented in the guise of Bodhisattva, becoming privileged subjects for the projection of their power. Coming from Central Asia, the Kuṣā a rulers (1st-3rd centuries) were the main patrons within this geographical area, and it was under their impetus that the art of the Gāndhāra underwent a formidable development. It was a real empire, which included territories from Uzbekistan to North India. This powerful kingdom was at the crossroads of many influences, notably from its Greek neighbours - successors of Alexander - in Central Asia, and then from the Roman Empire, which conquered these territories. This syncretic style, so original in Buddhist art, enjoyed great posterity in the Gāndhāra, thus ensuring its popularity.

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sTaTUe of bUddHa Śākyamuni

Ancient Gandhāra region 3rd century Grey shale Height: 66 cm Provenance: English private collection. Price: 32.000 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Christophe Hioco M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E.: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com The Śākyamuni Buddha This superb sculpture comes from the ancient region of Gandhara (Afghanistan, Pakistan), and represents the Buddha standing. The Blessed One can be recognized by his monastic costume covering both shoulders here, and the circular mandorla behind his head; but especially by the lakṣa a, distinctive marks or signs of the Śākyamuni Buddha, including the cranial protuberance (uṣ īṣa), the tuft of hair between the eyes (ūr ā), and his distended earlobes, revealing his former wealth. The right arm is fragmentary, but his hand would have been sketching the gesture of fearlessness (abhaya mudrā), palm facing outward and fingers extended. This iconography is conventional for depicting the historical Buddha and becomes fixed in the early centuries of our era, when the anthropomorphic representation of the Buddha appears.

An art at the crossroads of civilizations This sculpture is characteristic of the art of the Gandhāra region, notably by the drapery with concentric folds, held in one hand by the Buddha, which shows a Hellenistic influence testifying to the exchanges and contacts of civilizations. This is what the historian Alfred Foucher has established as Greco-Buddhist art: a syncretic art born in Gandhāra, thanks to the encounter between the Greek, Persian and Indian worlds, notably through the caravan trade and the Silk Road. We thus find all the characteristic qualities of this region, combining the finesse of Hellenistic realism and the iconographic codes of the Buddhist religion.

A remarkable know-how The round and full face, of great gentleness and serenity, the half-closed eyelids, the straight nose, the small fleshy mouth as well as the use of schist testify to an art perfectly mastered in its making, underlined by its excellent state of preservation. This remarkable sculpture probably took place in one of the two spaces of Gandhāra monasteries: a courtyard accessible to devotees and cluttered with all sorts of ex-voto monuments, such as reliquary mounds (stūpa) and chapels, and, beyond that, a space reserved for monks only. It is therefore a unique and powerful work, carrying a thousand-year-old history.

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