Expert’s note: This relief captures the most important and pivotal moment in Buddhism, when the Four Lokapalas, celestial guardians of the four cardinal directions, present their begging bowls to the Buddha. A symbol of his renunciation and spiritual authority, the offering signifies the divine recognition of his awakening.

Deeply and finely carved within a caitya arch to depict Buddha seated on a low pedestal with a serrated rim, four bowls to the base, the right hand raised and the left clutching his heavy sanghati with cascading naturalistic folds. His graceful ovoid face with the taught pursed lips of a knowing smile and heavy-lidded eyes, his hair exquisitely incised in wavy, almost symmetrical waves pulled over the ushnisha. The deity is surrounded by the four lokapalas (celestial guardians) leaning with fixated anticipation upon Buddha and wearing long flowing robes and tunics.

Provenance: Collection of Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, Italy. Leonardo Vigorelli is a retired Italian art dealer and noted collector, specializing in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. After studying anthropology and decades of travel as well as extensive field research in India, the Himalayan region, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the Dalton Somaré art gallery in Milan, Italy, which today is being run by his two sons.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, chips, nicks, scratches, structural fissures, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. Old repairs.

Dimensions: Height 116 cm (excl. stand), 117.5 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated stand. (2)

Immediately after the attainment of enlightenment, when the Buddha decided to eat after the forty-nine days emancipation, four begging bowls were presented by the guardians of the four directions. The four lokapalas offered Buddha bowls made of gold, which he refused as too fine. To please Buddha, they changed the bowls into stone, a material associated with monastic life, and Buddha accepted. Before he began to eat, the Buddha transformed the four bowls into one, in order that no one offering might be seen as favored over the others. For a further discussion and related depictions of the presentation of the four begging bowls, see Ghani ur Rehman, The Power of Bodhi: The Miraculous Mergence of the Four Begging Bowls by the Buddha Represented in Gandhara Sculpture, Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXI, No.2 (2010).

A caitya arch is a distinctive architectural and sculptural motif in Gandhara art, characterized by a horseshoe-shaped or ogee arch that frames niches, windows, and decorative elements. It is commonly associated with early Buddhist and rock-cut architecture, particularly chaitya halls (prayer halls with stupas) and stupa decorations.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related schist gable relief depicting Buddha seated in maharajalilasana, dated to the 2^nd century, in the Museum of Oriental Art, Turin, identifier MAO1007.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2007, lot 232
Price: USD 529,000 or approx. EUR 768,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important green schist gable relief, Gandhara, 2^nd-3^rd century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, modeling, and manner of carving. Note the much smaller size (90 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2024, lot 754
Price: USD 1,080,000 or approx. EUR 1,100,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A schist gable relief with the Teaching Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, modeling, and manner of carving. Note the much smaller size (70 cm).