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Life of the Buddha - First Turning of the Dharma Wheel
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Life of the Buddha - First Turning of the Dharma Wheel
PAKISTAN; circa 3rd–4th century; Schist; H: 71.1 cm; Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, USA
The Dharma wheel and pair of deer carved on the base, together with the grass on the seat, indicate this sculpture’s subject is the Buddha’s first teaching. It is, therefore, most likely the statue’s missing hands were making the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra. The Buddha has wavy hair, typical for Gandharan statues, but wears an Indian styled monastic robe. The inscription found along the bottom of the throne is in Brahmi and is rare since Kharosthi is the usual script found on Gandaran work. Unfortunately, too few characters remain to decipher its meaning. |
