A GOLD REPOUSSÉ PENDANT OF PADMAPANI, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA
Lot 97 - ANT1125

Kushan Empire, circa 1^st-4^th century AD. Constructed from a finely hammered sheet joined to a plain backing, the rectangular pendant is framed by a thick granulated border. It depicts Padmapani seated, holding two lotus blossoms, his hair covered by a turban flowing down one side onto the shoulder. The robe falls in pleats to the feet, while the sensitively modeled face, with heavy-lidded eyes and bow-shaped lips forming a subtle smile, conveys a composed expression.

Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Good condition, with expected ancient wear consistent with ritual handling. Manufacturing irregularities, signs of burial, encrustations, light scratches, minor tears and losses, small dings, and traces of old soldering.
Alloy composition range: 79.54% gold, 18.97% silver, 1.01% copper, 0.47% iron. The lot was tested by the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.

Weight: 42.1 g
Dimensions: Size 8.6 x 5.5 cm

Expert’s Note: Padmapani, the lotus-bearing form of Avalokiteshvara, belongs to the earliest manifestations of the bodhisattva cult. The first identifiable images appear in the 1st–2nd century CE under the Kushans, notably in Gandharan schist reliefs and Mathura red sandstone sculptures, where he is already shown holding a lotus stalk beside the Buddha. By the 2nd–3rd century CE, reliefs from the Amaravati stupa in Andhra Pradesh further established his iconography.
Monumental depictions followed in the Ajanta caves (3rd–5th century CE), with murals portraying Padmapani in full devotional grandeur. Beyond India, the cult spread rapidly: Kizil cave paintings in Central Asia (3rd–4th century CE) and early Dunhuang murals in China (4th–5th century CE) include Padmapani figures, reflecting his role as a universal protector. These works chart the emergence of one of Buddhism’s most enduring and compassionate figures.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related smaller Kushan gold repoussé buckle with Hariti and Panchika, possibly from Taxila, dated to the 4^th century, 4.4 cm wide, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.10-1948. Compare a related Gandharan schist figure of Padmapani, Gandhara, dated 2^nd to 3^rd century, in the British Museum, museum number 1950,0726.1.