A superb monumental gray schist figure of Maitreya Gandhara, 2nd / 3rd Century

standing on a plinth incised with a crosshatched pattern in front, his face with benevolent expression, elongated eyes carved in relief under arched eyebrows, prominent nose, and wavy moustache over well-defined bow-shaped lips, wearing a long finely pleated diaphanous dhoti secured by a braided rope knotted below his waist, his uttariya draped over his left shoulder, one end secured under the arm and the other end suspended in a low loop between both arms, his left hand holding the remains of a water flask, his bare muscular torso adorned with sumptuous ornaments, including a collar with a central square-shaped gem flanked by paisley-shaped jewels, a loop-in-loop chain necklace with a terminal of two makaras centering a large faceted gem, a beaded shoulder necklace and a string of amulet cases, a foliate armband on his right forearm, bracelets on his right wrist, beaded hoops in his ears and jeweled sandals on his feet,  his long hair falling to his shoulders in rippled strands and arranged above his forehead in stylized s-shaped locks terminating in a double-looped topknot above his head secured with a beaded fillet , two kneeling figures carved on either side of the large halo framing his head  

The concept of the Bodhisattva was central to the Mahayana or Greater Vehicle form of Buddhism, a school of thought that had emerged over the course of the first five hundred years of the growth and dissemination of the new religion. The Mahayana ideology advocated the importance of faith in the Buddha principle, expressed through love and devotion, as the most important element in the achievement of salvation. This universal ideal, which made the attainment of salvation more easily accessible to the lay practitioner, was widely embraced by the masses. The medium through which this possiblility of salvation was advanced was the Bodhisattva, a sentient being who was ready to receive Enlightenment but voluntarily postponed his own nirvana to transfer his merit to others so that they too could cleanse their souls and attain salvation. The Bodhisattva was thus a model of benevolence and compassion and as the Mahayana canon evolved, this altruistic entity came to be regarded as a heavenly being endowed with magical powers. Images of these deities were created in large numbers in the corpus of Buddhist art that was produced during the first centuries of the Common Era, particularly by the School of Gandhara.

The Bodhisattva image followed the Buddha as the most important subject in Gandharan sculpture. The most popular Bodhisattva was Maitreya, or The Loving One, regarded as the Buddha of the Future who would provide redemption and salvation for subsequent generations of believers. Maitreya may be identified by his attribute, the water flask or kalasha, the remains of which are seen held in his left hand in this image. He is also depicted with the urna or mole on the forehead between the eyebrows, an iconographic characteristic of the Buddha, which underscores his divine nature and his close and interchangeable relationship with the Godhead. The kneeling nimbated figures carved on the halo flanking Maitreya's face may represent Brahma and Indra, the two Brahminical deities most commonly seen in association with the Buddha in Gandharan art.

As with depictions of the Buddha, images of Bodhisattvas reveal the syncretism of Indic and Hellenistic styles that defined the artistic vernacular of the School of Gandhara. Maitreya is seen here typically attired in the manner of an Indian noble or prince, wearing a dhoti, an upper garment or shawl and a rich ensemble of jewelry. The realistic treatment of the muscular torso as well as the meticulous rendering of the dhoti in pleated folds attests to the consummate skill of the craftsman trained in the Greco-Roman sculptural tradition. The double-looped topknot crowning the elaborate coiffure of the image is reminiscent of the kroibilos of the Apollo Belvedere and points directly to Greek influence, as does the Herakles knot of the sash securing the dhoti. The moustache and sandals seen on the image are also distinctly non-Indic features, however the halo framing Maitreya's head is a standard indication of transcendence in Indic art.

The divine status of Bodhisattvas was further highlighted by the suite of richly carved ornaments depicted on the images. These jewelry ensembles, known as bodhisattvabharana, were not only indicators of the divine identity of Bodhisattvas but also acted as symbols representing both material and spiritual wealth to the lay worshippers of these deities. The great care and precision with which these accoutrements were depicted in the images, as seen in the present lot, indicate their importance in Mahayana ideology and also display the syncretic nature of jewelry traditions in vogue at the time. Maitreya is shown wearing a collar and matching armbands ornamented with foliate and geometric motifs, which were forms prescribed in the Mahayana texts, and were staples in Indic representations of deities. The pendent necklace with figural terminals is completely Hellenistic in style and conception. The chains are in the loop-in-loop style which was widely prevalent in Greek jewelry. While the makara terminals are obviously of Indic origin, the tradition of figural and animal-headed terminals was a fixture of Scythian and Parthian ornamentation. While amulets were traditionally worn attached to a string around the arm in the Indic tradition, the depiction of a string of amulets worn in a similar manner to the Hindu sacred thread was particular to the Gandharan repertoire.

This monumental sculpture of Maitreya is remarkable for its combination of power and grace. Compare the skillful modeling of the torso with the smooth musculature of the chest and abdomen, the treatment of the garments in finely carved parallel ridges and the slightly sloping plinth with incised face, with another sculpture of the deity sold in Sotheby’s New York, September 16 & 17, 1998, lot 11.  See F. Tissot, Gandhara, Paris, 1985, fig. 105 for a sculpture of Maitreya in the collection of the Lahore Museum with identical depiction of the hair in pronounced curls at the temples bound by a beaded fillet and adorned in a similar jeweled collar and chain necklace. The floppy double-looped knot tightly bound at its base as well as the deeply carved narrow eyes with elongated ends may be compared with another large figure of Maitreya in the Peshawar Museum; see H. Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, 1957, pl. 295. The figure’s dhoti is also secured by a corded sash tied in a reef knot identical to the present lot.