Superbly carved in deep relief to depict Buddha Shakyamuni in retinue with Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. Accompanied by splendid portrayals of nature, the figures of Buddha and his attendants are elegantly modeled, appearing at points to be entirely in the round.

The central Buddha seated in dhyanasana atop a lotus throne with diminutive figures of Nanda and Upananda kneeling in devotion on either side, flanked by the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya standing atop lotus pedestals. His hands are held close to his chest in dharmachakra mudra, and he is wearing a loose-fitting robe falling in richly carved pleats. His serene face is sensitively modeled with almond-shaped eyes, elegantly arched brows, a circular urna, and full lips, the hair arranged in tight snail-shell curls over the high domed ushnisha, backed by a halo.

Emerging from the background are the crowned Indra and an ascetic Brahma, below several proto-yaksha figures holding parasols and garlands, all raised on a rectangular base carved to the front with devotees and garland bearers supporting a large sinuous wreath.

Provenance: Collection of Giovanni Paltenghi, Milan, Italy, by the 1990s. Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, Italy, acquired from the above. Leonardo Vigorelli, a retired Italian art dealer and renowned collector, once specialized in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. With a background in anthropology and decades of travel and field research across India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the prestigious Dalton Somaré art gallery in Milan, now managed by his two sons.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, natural imperfections, minor structural cracks, obvious losses, nicks, shallow surface scratches, chips, encrustations and soiling from an extended period of burial, and signs of weathering and erosion. Old repairs to two yakshas at the top. Displaying exceptionally well.

Dimensions: Height 92 cm, Width 65 cm

The scene depicted in this relief, along with similar compositions, has been a subject of scholarly debate for the past century. Alfred Foucher, a prominent early scholar of Gandharan art, attributed this type to 'The Great Miracle at Shravashti,' where Buddha performs several miracles to counter challenges from heretics (see A. Foucher, The Beginnings of Buddhist Art, London, 1917, pp. 147-184). Among these miracles, perhaps the most significant is Buddha's self-multiplication. According to Buddhist doctrine, Buddha sat cross-legged on a lotus flower created by the naga kings Nanda and Upanda. As he entered a state of contemplation, a second lotus emerged atop the first, and on this new lotus, a second seated Buddha appeared.

In his discussion of the comparable Mohammed Nari Stele at the Lahore Museum (see literature comparison below), Juhyung Rhi questions the attribution of this triad type to the Miracle at Shravashti. Instead, Rhi suggests that the composition could alternatively represent Sukhavati, the paradise of Buddha Amitabha (see Complex Steles: Great Miracle, Paradise, or Theophany in The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara, 2011, New York, pp. 65-72). The present triad, along with similar examples, draws parallels to early East Asian depictions of Sukhavati, where a seated Buddha is flanked by standing Bodhisattvas. Comparable triads can be found in the seventh-century Tang dynasty murals at Dunhuang and the Qianxisi Cave at the Longmen Grottoes, which closely mirror this configuration.

Literature comparison:
Compare the famous Brussels Buddha (fig. 1), sold at Christie’s New York, 23 September 2020, lot 609, formerly in the Claude de Marteau Collection and now in a private collection in Japan, belonging to the Agonshū sect of Buddhism, thought to have been excavated in Sahri Bahlol due to its similarity with a statue (fig. 2) from the same location, now in the Peshawar Museum, illustrated by H. Hargreaves, Handbook to the Sculptures in the Peshawar Museum 1930, no. 1527, pl. 2. Compare also the Mohammad Nari Stele (fig. 3) in the Lahore Museum, Pakistan.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 March 2021, lot 410
Price: USD 475,000 or approx. EUR 511,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gray schist relief triad of Buddha Shakyamuni flanked by bodhisattvas, ancient region of Gandhara, 3^rd-4^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of carving. Note the size (74.9 x 49.2 cm).