South Indian Wood Buddha Statue
Shakyamuni
In Teaching Gesture
Origin: India. Circa: 19th century
H 12 in.(30cm.), W 7.8 in.(20cm), D 4 in.(10cm)
Condition : Oil stained finger. o.a. very good!

This exquisite 19th century wood Shakyamuni Buddha is rendered in the Ghandara style. The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from the 6th century BCE to the 11th century. It attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century under Buddhist Kushan Kings. It is here that the first artistic depictions of the Buddha in human form were found. The kingdom was located in what is now northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Many of the Ghandara pieces, such as this one reflect the stylistic fusion of the deep contact with the Greeks civilization in the rendering and posture of the human form.

Sold to Private Collection

Shakyamuni Buddha is the historical Buddha and capitulates the enlightened realization of the young prince Siddhartha of the Shakya clan. When asked to take the throne by his father Siddhartha realized that he could not truly transform greed avarice and wars as a ruler ,as theKing, unless he has transformed these things within himself. The Integration of the Four Noble Precepts and the Eight Fold Path lays out these precepts. The robes, nimbus and base of this statue are rendered in high detail. There is a power in the stance, a perfect uprightness of the spine. There is symmetry in the artistic form that communicates deep inner balance. That statue’s right finger is oiled otherwise it is in very good condition. This is a powerful artful rendering of this quintessential Buddha. (SD)