panel
- Museum number
- 1902,1002.15
- Title
- Object: Devadatta's atempt to murder the Buddha.
- Description
-
Part of a panel, perhaps from a vertical series, showing one of Devadatta's attempts to murder the Buddha. The haloed Buddha stands with one hand on the stone, his over-robe covering both shoulders, the curved neckline with folds in pronounced relief, his other hand securing the robe in a prominent loop to above shoulder level. The over-robe rides high above the undergarment below and the drapery folds are mainly in regular grooves. Above his long oval face wavy hair continues from the sharp hairline into the uṣṇīṣa. Behind the Buddha, before a doorway, stands Vajrapāṇi, his hair defined in straight vertical grooves, his narrow eyes set in a long oval face. He wears only a loincloth, and his lost vajra was formerly held across the chest. The doorway, with fasciated jambs and moulded lintel, is on a slant, its aperture concave, the threshold a plinth and tori, while above the lintel the acanthus motif resembles the upper part of a Corinthian capital.
Beyond the stone, which is marked with small whorls and circles, are the assassins apparently disposed on three levels: at the bottom one figure, wearing only a loincloth, sits with his back to the stone; above him another apparently seated and naked figure faces the viewer with one undercut arm raised; while below, a hand from the first or another figure holds a horizontal shaft at almost right angles to the stone and higher still some vestiges seem to belong to a hand resting on the stone in low relief.
On the undamaged edge a torus moulding is enriched with a cross-hatched pattern; the damaged upper framing element was presumably once a fillet and the Buddha and Vajrapāṇi are joined by their heads to its underside. The framing fillet below is plain.
- Production date
- 2ndC-3rdC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 5.90 centimetres
-
Height: 24.50 centimetres
-
Width: 26.70 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Zwalf 1996:
This panel is remarkable for the long narrow faces, thin arms and legs, partly undercut, the flattened hands on the stone, the elongated figures, the projection of the frame above and below and the position of the assassins, facing away from the Buddha and the stone.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- 1.Dark grey schist, broken and exfoliated.
2.Top and bottom flat, mainly smooth, remains of rectangular tenon to one side at bottom; sloping left side mainly flat and smooth; right side irregularly broken.
3.Back with horizontal chisel grooves.
4.Round pinhole from front to back; another, incomplete, at broken side.
- Acquisition date
- 1902
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1902,1002.15
