A RARE SANDSTONE STUPA FRAGMENT WITH A HOUND, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 2ND-3RD CENTURY
A RARE SANDSTONE STUPA FRAGMENT WITH A HOUND, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 2ND-3RD CENTURY
Expert's note:
Within the cosmopolitan culture of Kushan Gandhara, where Indian, Iranian, Central Asian, and Greco-Roman traditions converged, hounds carried both religious and secular associations. Significantly, they also appear in Buddhist Gandharan imagery, most notably in the rare episode of
the white dog barking at the Buddha. When the Buddha visited the house of Subha, the dog barked at him, whereupon he revealed that the animal was Subha's deceased father, reborn as a dog because of his attachment to worldly wealth. To prove this, the Buddha indicated where the father had concealed a treasure, which the dog then uncovered. The episode thus transformed an apparently commonplace animal into a powerful symbol of karma, rebirth, and the dangers of worldly attachment.
India, Uttar Pradesh. With rounded sides, the red crossbar fragment carved to the center in relief on both sides with a striding hound, its robust body supported on slender legs, the alert head with an elongated muzzle and upright ears, and the long tail curling upward. The details of the face, paws, and body are finely incised.
Provenance: Collection of Robert Henry Adams, Chicago, United States, and thence by descent.
Robert Henry Adams (1955-2001) was a prominent Chicago art dealer and collector and the founder of Robert Henry Adams Fine Art. Known particularly for championing American Modernism, African American art, and overlooked regional artists, he also assembled an eclectic private collection encompassing fine, decorative, and ethnographic works.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, scattered small chips, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. The fragmentary relief preserves the principal figure remarkably well.
Weight: 6.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 23 cm (excl. stand), 30 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern metal stand. (2)
The present fragment once formed part of a richly carved stone railing surrounding a sacred enclosure or stupa. Such railings were assembled from upright posts, horizontal crossbars, and coping stones, their surfaces enlivened with lotus medallions, figural scenes, and animals. A complete Mathura railing section dated circa 150-250 in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1943.71, demonstrates the original architectural context of these elements.
Animal subjects formed an important part of this decorative repertoire, with a remarkable variety of species appearing within circular medallions. Dogs are likewise attested in Kushan-period Mathura, including a terracotta example excavated at Katra Keshava-deva. This rich animal imagery is vividly documented by Vincent A. Smith in his publication on the excavations at Kankali Tila, Mathura, which records numerous animal-decorated railing elements, including a hound closely comparable to the present figure.
Literature comparison:
Compare Vincent A. Smith, The Jain Stupa and Other Antiquities of Mathura, Allahabad, 1901, pls. LXXI-LXXVI, illustrating numerous circular relief bosses from Mathura rail-bars decorated with different animals; in particular pl. LXXIII, fig. 3, showing a closely related hound.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 September 2002, lot 35
Price: USD 7,767 or approx.
EUR 12,500 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare pair of red sandstone crossbars, India, Mathura, circa 2nd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, stone, animal roundels, and manner of carving. Note the arguably lower quality of the carving.
Buyer's Premium
30%
A RARE SANDSTONE STUPA FRAGMENT WITH A HOUND, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 2ND-3RD CENTURY
Expert's note:
Within the cosmopolitan culture of Kushan Gandhara, where Indian, Iranian, Central Asian, and Greco-Roman traditions converged, hounds carried both religious and secular associations. Significantly, they also appear in Buddhist Gandharan imagery, most notably in the rare episode of
the white dog barking at the Buddha. When the Buddha visited the house of Subha, the dog barked at him, whereupon he revealed that the animal was Subha's deceased father, reborn as a dog because of his attachment to worldly wealth. To prove this, the Buddha indicated where the father had concealed a treasure, which the dog then uncovered. The episode thus transformed an apparently commonplace animal into a powerful symbol of karma, rebirth, and the dangers of worldly attachment.
India, Uttar Pradesh. With rounded sides, the red crossbar fragment carved to the center in relief on both sides with a striding hound, its robust body supported on slender legs, the alert head with an elongated muzzle and upright ears, and the long tail curling upward. The details of the face, paws, and body are finely incised.
Provenance: Collection of Robert Henry Adams, Chicago, United States, and thence by descent.
Robert Henry Adams (1955-2001) was a prominent Chicago art dealer and collector and the founder of Robert Henry Adams Fine Art. Known particularly for championing American Modernism, African American art, and overlooked regional artists, he also assembled an eclectic private collection encompassing fine, decorative, and ethnographic works.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, scattered small chips, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. The fragmentary relief preserves the principal figure remarkably well.
Weight: 6.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 23 cm (excl. stand), 30 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern metal stand. (2)
The present fragment once formed part of a richly carved stone railing surrounding a sacred enclosure or stupa. Such railings were assembled from upright posts, horizontal crossbars, and coping stones, their surfaces enlivened with lotus medallions, figural scenes, and animals. A complete Mathura railing section dated circa 150-250 in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1943.71, demonstrates the original architectural context of these elements.
Animal subjects formed an important part of this decorative repertoire, with a remarkable variety of species appearing within circular medallions. Dogs are likewise attested in Kushan-period Mathura, including a terracotta example excavated at Katra Keshava-deva. This rich animal imagery is vividly documented by Vincent A. Smith in his publication on the excavations at Kankali Tila, Mathura, which records numerous animal-decorated railing elements, including a hound closely comparable to the present figure.
Literature comparison:
Compare Vincent A. Smith, The Jain Stupa and Other Antiquities of Mathura, Allahabad, 1901, pls. LXXI-LXXVI, illustrating numerous circular relief bosses from Mathura rail-bars decorated with different animals; in particular pl. LXXIII, fig. 3, showing a closely related hound.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 September 2002, lot 35
Price: USD 7,767 or approx.
EUR 12,500 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare pair of red sandstone crossbars, India, Mathura, circa 2nd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, stone, animal roundels, and manner of carving. Note the arguably lower quality of the carving.
Buyer's Premium
30%
