Depicted seated in European fashion with each foot on a small lotus pedestal, one hand holding a child on her lap motioning towards her breast, the other hand holding a bunch of grapes, richly adorned in beaded jewelry, wearing a loose robe with voluminous folds, the face with a softly smiling expression and almond shaped eyes, her hair arranged into an elaborate chignon with a scaled headdress, a second child standing by her side.

Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813-1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”.
Inventory List: In 1954, L. Magniette, bailiff of the court in Toulouse (Huissier), was ordered to compile a complete inventory of the collection inherited by Marcel Huc from his father, Arthur Huc, the so-called “Inventaire Huc”. The present lot is listed in this inventory as follows: “Un Gandhara en schiste – dit: Hariti – Haut: 95,5 cm.” (A schist Gandhara – called: Hariti – Height: 95.5 cm). A copy of the inventory list and cover page are accompanying this lot.
Condition: Extensive weathering and wear. Few structural cracks with associated old repairs. Some breaks, losses, nicks, dents and erosions. Remnants of old varnish coating above remnants natural soiling from excavation.

French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185430 dated 3 July 2017 has been granted and is accompanying this lot.

Weight: 90 kg (total)
Dimensions: Height 95.5 cm (excl. base)

With an associated wood base. (2)

Hariti was the principal female Buddhist deity of ancient Gandhara with widespread popularity throughout Central Asia and China for at least the first three quarters of the first millennium CE. When the Chinese pilgrim, Yi Jing, visited Gandhara in 671, he saw sculptures of Hariti commonly installed near the dining halls of Buddhist monasteries (see Takakusu (trans.), Record of the Buddhist Religion as Practiced in India and the Malay Archipelago, Oxford, 1896). Yet only about a half dozen large sculptures of Hariti have survived to this day. Among these, the present sculpture is one of the best carved examples in private hands.

The story of Hariti’s conversion to Buddhism survives in many ancient Indian and Chinese sources. Despite being a mother to 10,000 children, the ogress Hariti routinely terrorized the Northern Indian city of Rajagrha, devouring its children. After failing to appease, Rajagrha's inhabitants beseeched the Buddha to pacify her. Underneath his alms bowl, Buddha hides Hariti's most beloved child from her. This sends Hariti into a frenzy, searching for her missing son. When Buddha finally returns her child, he prompts Hariti to consider the pain she has caused other mothers. Struck by empathy, Hariti converts to Buddhism and, in exchange for food offerings, promises to protect its monastic communities and Rajagrha's children.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related schist Hariti at Bonhams London in Islamic and Indian Art including Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art on 22 October 2019, lot 144, sold for GBP 187,562.

二至三世紀健陀羅重要大型片岩鬼子母像
鬼子母神以歐洲風格坐在蓮座上，一隻手抱著個孩子擱在膝蓋上似乎正往胸前送，另一隻手拿著一串葡萄。她佩戴著精美珠寶，穿著寬鬆的長跑，綫條流暢，表情溫柔，杏仁狀眼睛，高髻。一側站著另一個孩子。

來源：Arthur Huc (1854-1932)收藏。 Marcel Huc繼承，自此保存在同一家族至今。 Arthur Huc是La Dépêchedu Midi的主編，這是當時法國圖盧茲的主要報紙。他還是一位出色的藝術評論家，也是包括Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec在內的幾位藝術家的早期贊助人。同時，Arthur Huc是一位熱衷於亞洲藝術的收藏家，他的熱情源於他的傳奇祖先Évariste Régis Huc，中文名為古伯察（1813-1860），是法國天主教神父和旅行作家，在他的《韃靼西藏旅行記》書中描述了他在清朝的遊歷以及對蒙古尤其是當時幾乎鮮為人知的西藏的敘述。
收藏清單：1954年，圖盧茲法院法警 L. Magniette奉命對Marcel Huc從其父親Arthur Huc繼承的收藏品進行完整目錄彙編，即所謂的“ Inventaire Huc”。在此目錄裏，對本拍品有如下描述：片岩健陀羅鬼子母 高95，5厘米）。隨附目錄與其封面。
品相：廣泛的風化和磨損。些微裂縫與舊修補。 一些斷裂、缺損、划痕、凹痕和腐蝕。還保留著舊時的清漆塗層。

法國出口證書：隨附2017年7月3日出具的Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel 出口證書，編號 185430 。

重量：總重 90 公斤
尺寸：高95.5 厘米 (不含底座)

木底座。

鬼子母神是古健陀羅地區主要佛教女護法神。當年，來自大唐的求法高僧義净671年來到健陀羅時，在寺院食堂附近發現了鬼子母雕塑 (見高楠順次郎的 Record of the Buddhist Religion as Practiced in India and the Malay Archipelago, Oxford, 1896)。到目前爲止，只發現了六件鬼子母神像。其中，這件雕塑是私人收藏中雕刻得最好的作品之一。

在佛教故事裏都記載了關於鬼子母的傳説。據説夜叉鬼子母有一萬個孩子。爲了養育他們，她不停的去印度拉價格哈吞噬其他孩子。居民們不勝其擾，請釋迦牟尼來收服她。釋迦牟尼把她最寵愛的一個孩子藏在了他的食缽中。鬼子母找不到自己的孩子，只好找釋迦牟尼求助。佛陀說她現在也體會到了失去孩子的痛苦。於是，鬼子母收到慈悲的教化，成爲護法神之一。而與此同時，佛教僧人開始養育其孩子。

拍賣結果比較：一件相近片岩鬼子母像見倫敦邦瀚斯Islamic and Indian Art including Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art 拍場2019年10月22日lot 144, 售價GBP 187,562.