A GRAY SCHIST FRIEZE OF BUDDHA DIPANKARA AND THE ASCETIC MEGHA, THE FUTURE BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY

Ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period. Finely carved, the towering Buddha Dipankara gently turned towards the diminutive figure of the ascetic Megha, who is shown leaning against a wall, extending his arm in reverence to shower the Buddha with flowers. Buddha is dressed in voluminous robes draped across both shoulders, carved naturalistically with U-shaped folds that reveal the contours of his powerful body, the sensitively modeled face looks down with compassion at Megha who is modestly dressed in a loincloth, the deity backed by a large nimbus, all above a rectangular plinth decorated with a geometric band.

Provenance: R. M. Collection, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, acquired between 1979 and 2009, thence by descent to his wife Marie-Anne Lefevre in 2023.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Possibly small old repairs. Expected wear, obvious losses, few structural fissures, minor chips, nicks, scratches, remnants of varnish, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.

Weight: 14.6 kg (excl. stand), 16.5 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 43.5 cm (excl. stand), 46 cm (incl. stand)

With a modern metal stand. (2)

The Dipankara Jataka is a story of a Buddha from a past eon among a collection of stories about previous lives of the Buddha that carried particular significance in the Mahayana tradition of the kingdom of Gandhara (in present-day northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan). In this story, the Buddha-to-be is born as the ascetic named Megha (also known as Sumedha) who encounters the Buddha Dipankara and is deeply inspired by his compassion and wisdom. Megha decides to emulate Dipankara's virtues and vows to become a Buddha himself in the future. This story is the critical beginning of the Gandharan narrative cycle, as the Buddha Dipankara predicts that in a future life Megha will reach enlightenment and become the Buddha Shakyamuni. This narrative is for example related by a Gandharan schist panel dated ca. 2^nd century, 22.2 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1998.491. Compare also a related gray schist relief of the Dipankara Jakata, dated 2^nd-3^rd century, 37.5 cm high, sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2008, lot 567, for USD 37,000.

By the beginning of the 3rd century, the focus on narrative panels in Gandharan art shifted to iconic statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas in line with the growing of institutionalization of Mahayana Buddhism in the region. The present lot is one such devotional icon, wherein Dipankara’s composed yet penetrating expression embodies the very essence of the jataka, the moment when divine foresight and human aspiration converge. His downward glance upon the ascetic Megha conveys both compassion and certainty, affirming the vow that will one day culminate in Shakyamuni’s enlightenment. Such imagery resonated deeply in Gandhara under the Kushan kings, who made Buddhism a cornerstone of their imperial identity. Kanishka I in particular convened a great Buddhist council and sponsored monasteries, stupas, and narrative sculpture, presenting himself as a universal monarch (chakravartin) aligned with the cosmic order of dharma.

Drawing on Greco-Roman sculptural traditions, the sculptor emphasized the naturalism of Buddha's heavy monastic robe, which wraps around his neck in thick layers and forms U-shaped folds on his legs with a convincing sense of gravity. His hair is also impeccably carved, with wavy locks radiating from the center of the hairline. The underskirt that would have wrapped around Buddha's waist, visible around his ankles below the bottom edge of his robe, is equally well rendered.

To Kushan audiences, the sanction bestowed by Dipankara on the future Buddha would have mirrored the divine legitimacy their rulers claimed for themselves—earthly authority underwritten by transcendent wisdom. Today, even removed from that original setting, the sculpture still radiates that same sense of recognition and promise, reminding us of how art can bridge human aspiration, political vision, and the timeless truths of compassion and enlightenment.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 24 September 2020, lot 952
Price: USD 68,750 or approx. EUR 73,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray schist frieze of Buddha Shakyamuni and Maitreya, ancient region of Gandhara, 2^nd-3^rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving. Note the related size (46.3 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2024, lot 810
Estimate: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 26,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray schist relief depicting the Dipankara Jataka, Ancient region of Gandhara, circa 3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, subject, and size (43 cm).