GANDHARA SCHIST STONE STANDING FIGURE

100-300 AD. Gandharan. Beautiful schist figure of a female (?) figure, who stands on a lotus, gazing serenely into the distance. She wears an elaborate robe about the waist. She stands cross-legged with both hands in front of her. This gesture, known as the Dhyana Mudra, is considered to symbolise wisdom in the Buddhist tradition. Gandhara was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin in the north-west of the ancient Indian subcontinent. The Kushan period (c. 75-451 AD) of Gandharan art, to which this stucco figure belongs, was the golden age of artistic production in the area. Provenance: From the private collection of an Oxford gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in before 2000 on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:410mm / W:130mm ; 6.3kg