H x W x D: 67 x 289.8 x 9.8 cm (26 3/8 x 114 1/8 x 3 7/8 in)
Type:
Sculpture
Origin:
Pakistan or Afghanistan
Date:
late 2nd-early 3rd century
Period:
Kushan dynasty
Label:
After meditating for forty days beneath a pipal tree, the Buddha approached the moment of omniscience. Evil demons have failed to distract him, and he calmly touches the earth goddess to witness his attainment of enlightenment. His right hand, lowered in the earth-touching gesture (bhumisparsha mudra), signals that moment. The Buddha is depicted with the characteristic forehead mole (urna) and cranial bump (ushnisha) that symbolize his immense spiritual capacity.
Provenance:
? and ?-?
Carnig Kevorkian, purchased in Dargeelin, near Pishavar (now Peshawar), India (now Pakistan) [1]
?-1949
Hagop Kevorkian, New York, NY, acquired from Carnig Kevorkian [2]
From 1949
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian [3]
Notes:
[1] On May 15, 1956, Curator John A. Pope wrote to Hagop Kevorkian inquiring about this object’s provenance. See outgoing letter from John A. Pope to Hagop Kevorkian, dated May 15, 1956, copy in object file.
On May 17, 1956, Kevorkian replied that “[t]he Ghandaran [Gandharan] slab was bought in two trips to India by my brother, at Dargeelin near Pishavar [(now Peshawar)], North India [(now Pakistan)]. One part was excavated first and the next year the rest of the set was offered to him.” See John A. Pope, object record sheet remark, dated 1956, p. 2, copy in object file. A copy of Kevorkian’s May 17, 1956 correspondence is not in the object file. Pope transcribed Kevorkian’s reply onto the object record sheet.
Carnig Kevorkian is a dealer and collector of Ancient Near Eastern, Islamic, and Indian art in Paris, France. In 1923, Carnig opened Galerie Kevorkian at 21 quai Malaquais in Paris, where it has remained ever since. Carnig’s daughter Anne-Marie Kevorkian (1929-2013) and granddaughter Corinne, took over management of Galerie Kevorkian in 1964 and 2006, respectively.
[2] See note 1.
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris.
[3] See object file for copy of Hagop Kevorkian invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated June 27, 1949, and marked approved on July 1, 1949. The object is described as “Stone Relief, life of the Buddha, Ghandharan [Gandharan] Art.”
Research updated April 6, 2023
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)
Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)
The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)
The Ramayana (July 18, 1983 to April 15, 1984)
Hindu and Buddhist Art (April 1, 1982 to July 18, 1983)
Hindu and Buddhist Art (January 28, 1981 to September 24, 1981)
Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)
Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Art, Gallery 8 (July 15, 1958 to January 1, 1963)
Centennial Exhibition, West Corridor (February 25, 1956 to July 11, 1958)
Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to February 25, 1956)