A RARE GRAY SCHIST RELIEF OF THE FOOTPRINTS OF BUDDHA, BUDDHAPADA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA

Kushan period, 2nd-3rd century. Of flattened quadrangular form, deeply carved with a pair of footprints adorned with incised swastikas on the toes, triratnas on the big toes, and dharma wheels on the soles, each balanced upon triratnas. At the center, Atlas is depicted holding aloft a dharmachakra atop a triratna beneath a large swastika, all framed by a band of flowerheads on leafy stems.

Provenance: Collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, and thence by descent to Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg. A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by Jacques Grosbusch, dated 31 July 2024, and confirming the above, accompanies this lot.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, small chips, one loss to a corner, scattered nicks and scratches, encrustations, and signs of weathering and erosion.

Weight: 19.6 kg (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 47.5 cm (excl. stand), 51.5 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated metal stand. (2)

Depictions of the buddhapada, or footprints of the Buddha, were one of the early aniconic symbols used to denote the presence of the Buddha. In Gandharan art, they are often found alongside images of the Buddha himself. The historical Buddha was first revered through emblems that evoke his presence rather than through figurative images, as the Buddha himself professed the danger of attachment to icons in his own pursuit of enlightenment. Thus, the present aniconic symbol can be thought to represent the early, foundational principles of Buddhist philosophy and the Four Noble Truths.

Buddhapada images such as the present lot demonstrate the proliferation of the dharma, and its size conveys the power of Buddhist teachings. The swastika—an ancient fertility symbol—on the toes represent immutability, while the triratna symbol represents the three jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, dharma, and sangha. The chakra or wheel represents that philosophy and its power.

The slab is surrounded by a foliate band, an ornament frequently seen in Gandharan art, in narrative friezes, on the throne of the Buddha. This border effectively sanctifies the area within. Otherwise, the slab is smooth and unornamented, underlining the essential simplicity which characterizes the Gandharan style and provides such a contrast with the crowded, energetic forms which featured in artworks from India. The fact that Atlas kneels upright is effective proof that the stone was originally placed vertically, on a wall or on the face of a stupa, not flat on a floor or platform.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related schist relief of the footprints of Buddha, Buddhapada, 2^nd century CE, 86.36 cm wide, in the Yale University Art Gallery, accession number 2015.141.1. Compare a related green gray schist of Buddha’s footprint, 199-1 BC, in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, illustrated in the Virtual Museum of Images & Sounds, accession number 15406.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 31 March 2005, lot 13
Estimate: USD 90,000 or approx. EUR 141,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large complete pair of Buddhapada, Gandhara, 3^rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar foliate border. Note the size (57 cm).