Ancient Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Khmer Dynasty, ca. 12th to 14th century CE. An ample section of a model stupa carved from light brown schist featuring a quartet of sunken reliefs around the cylindrical body. Two square mortises on the base enabled this section to attach to a lower, larger stupa component, perhaps a base, and a deep mortise on top allowed the insertion of a spired, tiered finial that perhaps resembled a pagoda. Engraved rings of varying widths surround the broad body and create a linear backdrop for four recessed relief panels, each depicting an effigy of Buddha seated in a full lotus position and holding his hands in four different mudras within a flaming, peaked framework. Size: 7.5" W x 10.75" H (19 cm x 27.3 cm)
According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline, "Stupas, the earliest Buddhist monuments preserved in India, began as solid hemispherical domes that marked the remains of a great leader or teacher. They were incorporated into early Buddhist art as symbols of the continuing presence of Shakyamuni Buddha after his parinirvana (final transcendence), and as reminders of the path he defined for his followers. Buddhism carried the stupa throughout Asia, where it was interpreted in many forms, including the domed chortens of Tibet and the spired pagodas of China, Korea, and Japan."
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#159367
Condition
Minor nicks to base, top mortise, body, and figures, with light softening to some finer figural details, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice preservation to figures and overall form.