This fine schist frieze depicts one of the most crucial moments in the life of Buddha -- his death. Known as the Parinirvana, this scene is emblematic of Buddha’s freedom from reincarnation, and is his absolute liberation from the cycles of karmic rebirth. According to the Buddhist chronicles, this event occurred in the city of Kushinagar in northern India, a city hence significant in Buddhist theology. Carved with great detail and an exquisite attention to form, this frieze captures the momentousness of the devotional vignette it portrays.
We can see Buddha surrounded by mourners, both lay and monastic, arranged in an orderly and layered manner. The scene is characterized by the juxtaposition of the states of grief and peace—the anguish of the grievers against the serenity of the Buddha’s material body and the seated figure at right. Some aspects of their anatomy are foreshortened or distorted in scale to draw emphasis to the central icon of the Buddha himself. Their positioning also conveys a sense of depth to the scene; even though this is a bisected fragment, we can extrapolate the rest of the image of the lush foliage surrounding them and the presence of more attendants. It is described in texts that Buddha Shakyamuni died after falling ill from accepting a meal from a smith named Chunda. Hence, we might identify certain figures from religious texts present, such as his attendant Ananda, and some of his five hundred disciples who had congregated to mourn his passing. Particular figures of note such as the one positioned to the left side of Buddha, are posed in concern, with arms clutching his head and holding a grief-stricken expression.
We can draw comparisons to similar objects, such as a grey schist frieze in the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 67.43.13). The same narrative moment is portrayed with compositional similarities, such as the poses of the accompanying figures and seated monk at the body of Buddha. However, stylistic details differentiate the works; the craftsman of the present lot incised deeper into the stone, bringing greater depth to the image compared to the work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A very similar parinirvana composition is also in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art (acc. no. F1949.9a). A smaller grey schist scene depicting Parinirvana sold at Christie's New York, 23 September 2020, lot 627, for $35,000.