Lot 31. A schist relief panel with scenes of the birth of Buddha, Ancient region of Gandhara, circa 3rd century; 29.5cm (11 3/8in) x 31 cm (12 1/4in). (2). Sold for €138,975 (Estimate 15 000 € - 20 000 €). Courtesy Bonhams.

The rare and unusually large scene from the birth of the Buddha shows Maya Devi returning to Kapilavastu holding Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha to be introduced to the audience. Given that his mother died seven days after her birth, the maternal figure may indeed be his aunt, Mahaprajapati, to whom was entrusted the education of the Prince Siddhartha throughout his youth - she gazes loving on the swaddled prince backed by a halo. They are transported by figures to the sides and at the back, one still remaining with a bare torso and turban, in a chair or palanquin with turned column uprights. The procession is led by Brahma holding a staff with a triratna finial and wheel, and Indra turned to the side with a decorated register at the top, stand.

Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935, bearing a collection label 'C.586'.
Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021).

Note: See a closely related example with a slight variation on the arrangement of the attending figures is in the Peshawar University Museum (MJN-1983-1-86), illustrated by C.Luczanits, Gandaran: The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan, Mainz, 2008, p.219, no.150, and another heavily abraded version in the British Museum, London, see W.Zwalf, Gandharan Art, London, 1996, p.94, no.152.

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Paris. The Robert and Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting - Part 1. Paris, 25 october 2022.