Pair of Gandharan Gilt Terracotta Hands

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
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• Lot Description
  Central Asia, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, Gandharan Empire, ca. 2nd to 5th century CE. Wow! An incredibly elegant, beautifully preserved pair of ceramic hands made to be part of a larger statue, perhaps one with a stucco head. Each is sculpted with a broad palm scored by three deep lines and five slender, lifelike fingers bent into sacred forms. Both wear relief bracelets decorated with gilt, much of which remains. This contrasts with the pale beige color of the fired terracotta. One hand is in the Gyana Mudra, palm up with the tips of the index finger and thumb touching, the other three fingers extended. The other is in the Aakash Mudra, raised to face the viewer, with the middle finger touching the thumb. Both of these are meditative gestures used in the practice of Buddhism to focus on the mind. Size of the latter (which appears slightly bigger): 7" W x 8.65" H (17.8 cm x 22 cm); 10.65" H (27.1 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  This pair of hands is amazing and naturalistic, originating in the unique period of Greco-Buddhist art. The Gandharan Empire made itself wealthy in part by controlling lucrative trade along the mountain passes between China in the East and the Near East and Mediterranean in the West; a great deal of this wealth went into local patronage of artisans and art. In the first century CE, Buddhism became fashionable amongst Gandharan elites, and the art produced at this time depicting the Buddha includes some of the most striking Buddhist images from the past. Their artistic tradition also reflects the conquest of Alexander the Great and the introduction of styles from all sides, blended into a uniquely Gandharan tradition. These hands must have graced a figure that was lifesize or just a bit larger, probably a Buddha inside a shrine that was constructed from multiple parts - with a stucco head and torso and limbs.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Alexandre A du M collection, Maryland, USA, acquired in the 1980s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #143846

  Condition

  Both are from larger statues (perhaps the same large statue) and have rough ends on their wrists. One has been repaired at the wrist. None of the fingers or palms have been repaired. Much gilding and original pigment remains. Beautiful deposits on surface.
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