GANDHARA,
MELTING POT OF CULTURES

GANDHARA – AN ANCIENT REGION IN WHAT IS NOW NORTHWEST PAKISTAN – EMERGED AROUND THE TURN OF THE COMMON ERA AS A VITAL CROSSROADS BETWEEN THE MEDITERRANEAN, CENTRAL ASIA AND SOUTH ASIA.

Classical influences introduced by Alexander the Great mixed with Parthian, Indian and Kushan elements to create a uniquely syncretic art form. This fusion reached its apogee in Buddhist art under the Kushan rulers of the 2nd century AD, when monasteries and stupas – often founded by royal patrons – became centres of religious and artistic activity.

A FINE GREY SCHIST
HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA

Gandhara, 2nd century, H 35 cm
Estimate:
CHF 50 000 / 80 000

Reliquaries assumed paramount importance, and from the 1st century AD onward, scenes from the life of the Buddha were carved in relief. Later, iconic figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in bronze, schist or stucco adorned the growing monastic complexes. The classical-Greek legacy is evident in the naturalistic treatment of anatomy and drapery, and in the monumental scale of many figures. The style and iconography of the Gandhara school persisted in Afghanistan until the 7th century – a final vestige of one of Asia's most fascinating art phenomena.

Unusually large for a bronze sculpture is the seated Buddha in our Asian Art sale – its eyes inlaid with silver, and lips in copper, evoke an almost life-like presence. An impressive Bodhisattva head in schist from 2nd-century Gandhara, and a rich ensemble of schist reliefs from a private Ticino collection complete our selection of Gandharan masterpieces.