Gandharan Schist Frieze with Putti and Gerlands
$869.53
A Gandharan grey schist frieze depicting a procession of putti moulded in high-relief, bearing florid garlands over their shoulders. They are captured walking in opposite directions, with their torsos and heads seen in three-quarter view. The relief features a canopy with carefully carved boxes along the overhanging border; beneath the feet of the procession is a second lipped border with careful gradation of heights. The garland bearer motif, typically executed in the form of naked putti as seen on this piece, draws from popular ornamental designs from the Graeco-Romano art. It was introduced in the Gandharan artistic repertoire between the 2nd and 6th century AD, during the rule of the Kushan Empire.
The measurements provided below are inclusive of the custom-made stand, the frieze itself measures : L 51cm x H 12.6cm x W 5.5cm.
N.B. This item will require additional postage charges after checkout due to weight and size.
Date: Circa 2nd - 3rd century AD
Condition: Fine condition, with some earthy encrustations remaining on the surface.
SOLD
Gandhara was an ancient region, once located in an area between modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, to which a wide range of Buddhist stone sculptures with strong Hellenistic and Roman aesthetic features are attributed. Gandharan reliefs and statuettes are famous for their harmonious combination of the local religious spiritual concepts and the idealised naturalistic styles of classical sculptures of Greek and Roman art. Stone sculptures were produced in great quantities for the Buddhist monasteries of Gandhara. These images would once have been coated with a fine stucco plaster and painted, in order to give a more colourful appearance. Stucco itself, skilfully modelled around a mud core, was also used as an alternative to stone. The width of this panel suggests that it was probably placed on a building as decoration.
To find out more about Gandharan art please see our relevant blog post: The Influence of Greek Art on Gandharan Statues.
