A GRAY SCHIST FIGURE OF MAITREYA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA
Lot details Circa 5th-7th century. Well carved standing, dressed in a finely pleated robe draped elegantly over his left shoulder, richly bejeweled wearing a foliate collar and beaded necklaces. His face bears a serene, introspective expression, marked by almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, full lips, and wavy mustache, the face flanked by elongated earlobes suspending large earrings. His wavy hair is gathered in a high chignon secured by a band, backed by a nimbus. Provenance: The Phillips Family Collection, Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, and thence by descent to Michael Phillips (born 1943), who is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine arts, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Some old fills. Extensive wear, obvious losses, nicks, significant signs of weathering and erosion, expected encrustations, few structural cracks. Weight: 70.6 kg Dimensions: Height 84 cm (excl. stand), 117 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) Maitreya is one of the most popular bodhisattvas depicted in Gandharan sculpture. Also known as the Loving One, he is identified by the kundika, or sacred water flask, held in his lowered left hand. His rise in popularity coincided with the tenants of Mahayana Buddhism, for which the role of the bodhisattva, and his ability to transfer his own merit to others became paramount. In his preordained role as the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya promises redemption and salvation for devoted practitioners of the faith. Images of bodhisattvas reveal the syncretism of Indic and Hellenistic styles, as Maitreya is depicted as an Indian noble bedecked with a jeweled crown and necklace. The almond-shaped eyes, sandals, and naturalistic modeling of the body nevertheless underscore the influences of the Classical traditions of art. Literature comparison: Compare a related figure of a bodhisattva, 102 cm high, dated 2nd-3rd century, in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 261 Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 49,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, gray schist, ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and modeling. Note the size (70 cm).Circa 5th-7th century. Well carved standing, dressed in a finely pleated robe draped elegantly over his left shoulder, richly bejeweled wearing a foliate collar and beaded necklaces. His face bears a serene, introspective expression, marked by almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, full lips, and wavy mustache, the face flanked by elongated earlobes suspending large earrings. His wavy hair is gathered in a high chignon secured by a band, backed by a nimbus. Provenance: The Phillips Family Collection, Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, and thence by descent to Michael Phillips (born 1943), who is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine arts, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Some old fills. Extensive wear, obvious losses, nicks, significant signs of weathering and erosion, expected encrustations, few structural cracks. Weight: 70.6 kg Dimensions: Height 84 cm (excl. stand), 117 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) Maitreya is one of the most popular bodhisattvas depicted in Gandharan sculpture. Also known as the Loving One, he is identified by the kundika, or sacred water flask, held in his lowered left hand. His rise in popularity coincided with the tenants of Mahayana Buddhism, for which the role of the bodhisattva, and his ability to transfer his own merit to others became paramount. In his preordained role as the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya promises redemption and salvation for devoted practitioners of the faith. Images of bodhisattvas reveal the syncretism of Indic and Hellenistic styles, as Maitreya is depicted as an Indian noble bedecked with a jeweled crown and necklace. The almond-shaped eyes, sandals, and naturalistic modeling of the body nevertheless underscore the influences of the Classical traditions of art. Literature comparison: Compare a related figure of a bodhisattva, 102 cm high, dated 2nd-3rd century, in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 261 Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 49,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, gray schist, ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and modeling. Note the size (70 cm).
[ translate ]Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Lot details Circa 5th-7th century. Well carved standing, dressed in a finely pleated robe draped elegantly over his left shoulder, richly bejeweled wearing a foliate collar and beaded necklaces. His face bears a serene, introspective expression, marked by almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, full lips, and wavy mustache, the face flanked by elongated earlobes suspending large earrings. His wavy hair is gathered in a high chignon secured by a band, backed by a nimbus. Provenance: The Phillips Family Collection, Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, and thence by descent to Michael Phillips (born 1943), who is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine arts, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Some old fills. Extensive wear, obvious losses, nicks, significant signs of weathering and erosion, expected encrustations, few structural cracks. Weight: 70.6 kg Dimensions: Height 84 cm (excl. stand), 117 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) Maitreya is one of the most popular bodhisattvas depicted in Gandharan sculpture. Also known as the Loving One, he is identified by the kundika, or sacred water flask, held in his lowered left hand. His rise in popularity coincided with the tenants of Mahayana Buddhism, for which the role of the bodhisattva, and his ability to transfer his own merit to others became paramount. In his preordained role as the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya promises redemption and salvation for devoted practitioners of the faith. Images of bodhisattvas reveal the syncretism of Indic and Hellenistic styles, as Maitreya is depicted as an Indian noble bedecked with a jeweled crown and necklace. The almond-shaped eyes, sandals, and naturalistic modeling of the body nevertheless underscore the influences of the Classical traditions of art. Literature comparison: Compare a related figure of a bodhisattva, 102 cm high, dated 2nd-3rd century, in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 261 Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 49,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, gray schist, ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and modeling. Note the size (70 cm).Circa 5th-7th century. Well carved standing, dressed in a finely pleated robe draped elegantly over his left shoulder, richly bejeweled wearing a foliate collar and beaded necklaces. His face bears a serene, introspective expression, marked by almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, full lips, and wavy mustache, the face flanked by elongated earlobes suspending large earrings. His wavy hair is gathered in a high chignon secured by a band, backed by a nimbus. Provenance: The Phillips Family Collection, Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, and thence by descent to Michael Phillips (born 1943), who is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine arts, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Some old fills. Extensive wear, obvious losses, nicks, significant signs of weathering and erosion, expected encrustations, few structural cracks. Weight: 70.6 kg Dimensions: Height 84 cm (excl. stand), 117 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) Maitreya is one of the most popular bodhisattvas depicted in Gandharan sculpture. Also known as the Loving One, he is identified by the kundika, or sacred water flask, held in his lowered left hand. His rise in popularity coincided with the tenants of Mahayana Buddhism, for which the role of the bodhisattva, and his ability to transfer his own merit to others became paramount. In his preordained role as the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya promises redemption and salvation for devoted practitioners of the faith. Images of bodhisattvas reveal the syncretism of Indic and Hellenistic styles, as Maitreya is depicted as an Indian noble bedecked with a jeweled crown and necklace. The almond-shaped eyes, sandals, and naturalistic modeling of the body nevertheless underscore the influences of the Classical traditions of art. Literature comparison: Compare a related figure of a bodhisattva, 102 cm high, dated 2nd-3rd century, in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 September 2008, lot 261 Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 49,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, gray schist, ancient region of Gandhara, Kushan period Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving and modeling. Note the size (70 cm).
[ translate ]