A RARE POLYCHROME STUCCO RELIEF DEPICTING A MONK WITH A SKULL, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA

Kushan period, 4^th-5^th century. Modeled as a standing figure dressed in monastic garbs, the monk carefully holds a skull as he ponders in deep contemplation, his rounded face marked by heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes with dark pupils below elegantly arched brows, above pursed bow-shaped lips, with a scarf tied around the head.

Provenance: An important London collection of ancient art, formed in the 1970s, and thence by descent. A private collection in Britain, formed in the 1990s, acquired from the above. An Oxfordshire art professional, acquired from the above.
Condition: Extensive wear, encrustations, signs of weathering and erosion, all commensurate with age. Obvious losses, nicks, and scratches. Minor old fills and touchups, remnants of numerous layers of pigment renewed over centuries. Overall with a good, naturally grown patina.

Weight: 8,100 g (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 51 cm (excl. stand)

Maraṇasati (mindfulness of death) is a Buddhist meditation practice of remembering (frequently) that death can strike at any time, and that we should practice assiduously and with urgency in every moment, even in the time it takes to draw one breath. According to the Maranasati Sutra, a monk should reflect on the many possibilities which could bring him to death, and then turn his thoughts to the unskillful mental qualities he has yet to abandon.

The philosophical underpinnings of Maranasati draw parallels to the Western trope of Memento mori (Latin for ‘remember that you will die’) in their shared exploration of mortality. In ancient Greece, Stoic philosophers like Seneca and Epictetus advocated for accepting the inevitability of death, akin to the Buddhist concept of Maranasati. Plato's Phaedo, where the death of Socrates is recounted, introduced the idea that the proper practice of philosophy is "about nothing else but dying and being dead".

Gandharan art is at the confluence of the east and west, with its characteristic sculptures drawing inspiration from both Buddhist iconography and classical European culture. The present stucco serves as a poignant reminder of this convergence. In both traditions, whether through Greco-Roman philosophical thought or Buddhist teachings, the contemplation of mortality emerged as a unifying theme, which permeated through art, prompting individuals to live mindfully and cultivate virtues in the face of the inevitable.

In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this contemplative figure of a monk. Of the surviving Gandharan stuccos, some still show traces of their coloring, such as the present lot. On this head the eyebrows and irises are black. A distinct orange-red pigment is used on the lips and to outline several other features. Fewer bodies survive, since on them the more durable stucco was thinly spread over clay.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sculpture of a monk with a skull in hand, 19 cm tall, dated to the 1^st-5^th century AD, in the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin, on display at the Humboldt Forum, 3rd floor, room 314, identity number I 125. Compare a closely related Gandharan figure of a child with a skull, in the collection of the Musée Guimet, Paris.