Kushan period, 2^nd-4^th century AD. Superbly carved, standing in slight contrapposto with one hand clutching his sanghati cascading in deep voluminous folds, the royal donor at his side, a Kushan king or prince, looks up at the Buddha with devotion and reverence. He is dressed in a heavy cloak and long tunic over breeches tied at the ankles. His mustachioed face with almond-shaped eyes and bow-shaped mouth, framed by neatly incised curled hair.

Provenance: A private collection in Italy. Collection of Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, acquired from above. Leonardo Vigorelli is a retired Italian art dealer and noted collector, specializing in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. After studying anthropology and decades of travel as well as extensive field research in India, the Himalayan region, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the Dalton Somaré art gallery in Milan, Italy, which today is being run by his two sons.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, nicks, scratches, structural cracks, old repairs.

Dimensions: Height 85 cm (excl. stand), 90 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated stand. (2)

The Kushans, descendants of nomadic tribes from the steppes of China, swept down into the Gandharan and Gangetic regions in the early 1st century and established a powerful empire stretching across Northern India and Central Asia. Wily politicians, the Kushans preserved, and in some cases adopted themselves, many of the traditions and institutions of their conquered territory. Buddhism was perhaps the most important of these adoptions. It it is during the Kushan period that Indian artists began to craft images of the Buddha in his anthropomorphic form, as seen contemporaneously in both Gandhara and the Indian region of Mathura.

The Kushan kings clearly understood the importance of the image in establishing and maintaining their legacy in India. Several large portrait sculptures of the Kushan kings have been unearthed in their capital at Mathura, including a figure of Kanishka (reigned circa 127-140 AD), currently at the Government Museum, Mathura (see J. Kumar, Masterpieces of Mathura Museum, 1989, p. 53, pl. 20). In that image, Kanishka stands with his huge feet turned outwards, dressed in a dhoti under a long cloak, the folds of which flare outwards in a triangular shape. He holds the scepter of royal power in one hand and the hilt of a sword in the other. To avoid any confusion, he had his name emblazoned across the front to proclaim his rule. The figure of Kanishka and the present figure are very similarly dressed in the garb of a Central Asian nomad, with boots, leggings, and a heavy cloak.

There are extremely few examples that have survived with the royal donor in the presence of the Buddha. In this case, the work is a visual statement of support for the Buddhist institution from the Kushan nobility. As a demonstration of humility, the donor figure has been rendered considerably smaller than Buddha. The Kushan noble then has been rendered not as a demi-god, as other kings would have sought to portray themselves as, but as a humble devotee to the grace of Buddha.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 March 2013, lot 209
Price: USD 183,750 or approx. EUR 223,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare green schist relief of Buddha and a royal donor, 2nd/3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving, with Buddha standing in similar pose and holding the hem of his garment beside a smaller donor figure. Note the size (106.8 cm).