Northwest Pakistan, Gandhara, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. A model of a Buddhist stupa, finely carved from grey schist in five sections that are intricately detailed in relief. The square base presents four double columns at the corners, the walls each featuring an open lotus flower surrounded by leafy foliage, with a dentillated frieze above. This pedestal supports, from bottom to top, a drum with floral and geometric motifs, a smaller drum with checkerboard motif, a hemispherical domed structure carved with overlapping leaf forms, capped with a finial resembling a spired pagoda. Size: 7.75" H (19.7 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: private Orange County, California, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private Mussienko, Maryland, USA collection, 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.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#135381

Chips to tip and edges of spiral finial tiers. Chips to edges of square base and drums. Expected surface wear commensurate with age. Earthen encrustation in recessed areas.