AGNSW Double-Sided Statue

Art Gallery of New South Wales Double–Sided Statue 

In 2003 the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, Australia acquired this double-sided Buddhist statue as part of the Alex Biancardi collection. The statue measures 51 cm high, 17 cm wide, and 15 cm deep and the addorsed figures are the Śākyamuni Buddha on one side and the future Buddha Maitreya on the other. Both figures are standing upon a decorated pedestal and share a nimbus, which is mostly missing. The statue is from Gandhara and the estimated date is the 2nd – 3rd centuries CE. However, the exact provenance of this statue is unknown, and many pieces from the Alex Biancardi collection are connected with the accused art-smuggler Douglas Latchford. It is unclear if this piece was associated with Langford, but regardless there is no record of its findspot.

Double sided Buddhist sculptures from Gandhara are very rare, making this an important piece of Gandharan art. A few examples have appeared on the art market through Christie’s, a seated Buddha and Maitreya sold in September 2007 (lot-4960272), a seated Buddha and Maitreya sold in March 2012 (lot-5540683), and a bust of the Buddha and Maitreya sold in March 2021 (lot-6307471). The current locations of these pieces are not known. An additional double-sided sculpture of the Buddha and bodhisattva figure identified as Avalokiteshvara is in the Russek Collection, Switzerland (cat. no. 60). These examples indicate that artisans in Gandhara did make double sided figures, but only a few remain today.

One side of this sculpture depicts a standing Śākyamuni Buddha with wavy hair and a banded topknot (uṣṇīṣa), and his facial features include half-closed eyes, elongated earlobes, a narrow nose, and somewhat rounded chin. The Buddha wears both an outer robe (saṃghāṭi) and under robe (antaravāsaka), and the outer robe covers both shoulders and has an oval neckline. The Buddha’s right arm supports the robe and the folds of the drapery extend below the Buddha’s waist. Both of the Buddha’s hands are missing, however it appears that the right arm would extend outward while the left arm would point downward. This orientation might indicate the abhaya-mūdra, “characterised by a raised right hand with the palm facing outward” and was common in standing images from Gandhara (Rhi 2013, 2; cf. Figure 3). The under robe covers the Buddha’s legs up to his shins and the pleating of this robe is straight. The Buddha stands barefoot upon a double-rimmed pedestal.

Comparing the features of this Śākyamuni Buddha with the categories devised by the art historian Juhyung Rhi assist in identifying the probable provenance and approximate date of this piece. Rhi (2008) identifies five visual types of Buddha images from Gandhara. Among these types, this Śākyamuni Buddha best aligns with those of Type III, whose heads have hair “arranged in a wavy pattern, broadly undulating over the entirety of the head” and “half-closed eyes convey both meditation and aloofness” (Rhi 2008, 57-8). More distinctive to the Type III category is the oval neckline of the robe and folds of the drapery, and this image closely resembles Buddhas from Sahrī-Bahlol and Takht-i-Bāhī (Rhi 2008, 57-63, cf. Figures 31 and 36). Type III Buddhas represent the largest group of Gandharan images and based on the features cited above, this statue could be associated with this category. Furthermore, the majority of Type III Buddhas are from sites in the Peshawar valley, making this area in ancient Gandhara the likely provenance for this image. For the dating of this piece, although this statue does not contain an inscription or date, other dated Type III Buddhas fall withing the first two decades of the 3rd Century CE (Rhi 2018, 48). Therefore, it is likely that this piece is from the Peshawar basin, the central region of Gandhara, and was hewn around the 3rd Century CE.

The Maitreya image, whose back is to the Śākyamuni Buddha, is easily identifiable by the water pot held in his left hand. Other components of this image are also consistent with Maitreya’s iconography: a turban, earrings, moustache, ornaments, and sandals (Huntington 1984, 141-4). The turban has two loops on the top, beaded bands that twist upwards, and a central jewel on the forehead. The earrings are large loops. Maitreya’s adornments of a beaded necklaces, Brahmanical cord, armbands, and bracelets are typical for this figure (Huntington 1984, 142-3). A better view of the band on Maitreya’s upper right arm is seen in the profile image, and the right hand is holding the edge of his upper robe. The fingers of the left hand are missing, but the water pot is clearly visible. Unlike the barefoot Śākyamuni, Maitrya is wearing sandals.

This rare addorsed statue of Śākyamuni and Maitreya is a significant piece in the AGNSW collection of Buddhist art from Gandhara.

Works Cited

• Huntington, J.C. 1984. “The Iconography of Maitreya Images in Gandhāra.” Journal of Central Asia 7/1: 133-78.
• Rhi, Juhyung. 2008. “Identifying Several Visual Types in Gandhāran Buddha Images.” Archives of Asian Art 58: 43-85.
• Rhi, Juhyung. 2013. “Presenting the Buddha: Images, Conventions, and Significance in Early Indian Buddhism.” In David Park, Kuenga Wangmo, and Sharon Cather, eds., Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and Conservation, pp. 1-18. London: Archetype Publications.
• Rhi, Juhyung. 2018. “Positioning Gandharan Buddhas in Chronology: Significant Coordinates and Anomalies.” In Wannaporn Rienjang and Peter Stewart, eds., Problems of Chronology in Gandharan Art, pp. 35–52. Oxford: Oxford University Press.