1st Century; 19th regnal year of King Kanishka which corresponds to 96-97CE.
Function
This sculpture functioned as a donation which helped the donor gain religious merit. Being a sacred icon installed in a monastery or another site, it was revered.
Acquisition
This sculpture was made in Mathura and then installed in a monastery or another sacred site in northern India. Often, damaged icons are considered inauspicious and offered to a water body like a sea, river or lake. This artefact was purchased by the Asian Civilisations Museum in 2000.
Map Of Museums
Why this is a Masterpiece
An invaluable inscription on the sculpture, its majestic life-like size, superb craftsmanship and a handful of sculptures of this iconographic type make this Buddha a true masterpiece. Besides the broken right hand, its base which may have contained a small relief with carvings of leogryphs and dharmachakra (the wheel of law) is also missing. Had it been intact, this sculpture would have been one of the biggest in the seated Buddha Shakyamuni style found in the Mathura region.
The pleated folds of the drapery, details of the nipples, and a contained, engaging smile demonstrate the high level of realism achieved by the Kushana artist.
Other Buddhas in this iconography are also identified as kapardin (bearing a topknot). Only five other dated seated kapardin-style Buddhas are known, making this a rare and valuable addition to the group.
History of the Object
This sculpture was “installed by the monk (follower of Vinaya) on the 8th day of the first fortnight of hemanta (winter) of the 19th year of the great king Kanishka” as is known from a donatory inscription on it. It was common for monks and noblemen to donate sculptures to earn religious merit. The donation of this image of Buddha was an act of piety on part of the monk, who belonged to a high order. Since it was donated, it is likely that the monk commissioned the sculpture at a workshop in Mathura in northern India. It was then installed in a monastery or another site.
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