A BLACK STONE STUPA DRUM WITH FOUR BUDDHAS, PALA PERIOD

Northeastern India, 10th-11th century. Finely carved, the base cylindrical in form with tiered and foliate bands and with four niches, each with Buddha seated on a double-lotus base with his hands in various mudras with kneeling attendants below and a foliate torana above, the dome rounded.

Provenance: Galerie Peter Hardt, Radevormwald, Germany, 2002. A private collection in Vienna, Austria, acquired from the above. A copy of the original signed invoice from Galerie Peter Hardt, dated 1 March 2002, and stating a purchase price of EUR 9,000 or approx. EUR 13,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Peter Hardt is a notable German expert, collector, and dealer for Asian art. During his long career, which spanned more than 35 years, Hardt built a substantial collection that is now housed in a private museum he founded in 2014, the Museum für Asiatische Kunst in Radevormwald.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, bruises, losses, small chips, nicks, and scratches. Overall displaying remarkably well.

Weight: 21.4 kg
Dimensions: Height 21 cm (excl. base), 29.5 cm (incl. base)

Mounted to a modern granite base. (2)

Small stupas such as this example were placed near massive stupas containing the ashes of the Buddha. By this time, the connection between the historic Buddha Shakyamuni, who revealed the Buddhist teachings on earth, and the Buddha Vairocana, who resides in heaven, was known from texts and accepted in religious practice. The dome of the stupa simultaneously represents Shakyamuni’s relics and Vairocana’s celestial presence. The four directional Buddhas look out of foliate niches. These small stupas held the ashes of the monastic dead, allowing deceased monks to be eternally in the presence of the Buddha Shakyamuni and perhaps even aided in their being reborn in one of the pure lands.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related stupa, dated 10^th-11^th century, 21.6 cm tall, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 20.70.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 14 September 2015, lot 12
Price: USD 20,000 or approx. EUR 23,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stone stupa drum, Northeastern India, Pala period, 11th/12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, subject, and manner of carving. Note the size (39.4 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 September 2013, lot 241
Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stone stupa base, Northeastern India, Pala period, 11th/12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, subject, and manner of carving. Note the size (42.3 cm).