Bonhams 1793 : A schist relief panel of Bacchus Ancient Region of Gandhara, 1st/2nd century

Ancient Region of Gandhara, 1st/2nd century
The Greco-Roman god of wine and revelry framed within an undulating grapevine bearing trefoil leaves and fruit, wearing a toga draped over his left shoulder and raising a wine vessel with his right hand, his face with a voluminous goatee and pronounced cheekbones and his hair arranged in a chignon, to his left remains the partial representation of a bacchant figure sporting a turban and attentive expression.
5 3/4 x 10 in. (14.7 x 25.4 cm)

Estimate:

US$ 10,000 - 15,000
£6,600 - 9,900
€7,700 - 12,000

Footnotes

This finely carved panel is an example of the iconographic bridge between Greco-Roman culture and Gandharan architecture. The cult of Dionysus/Bacchus was very strong and his image was incorporated into many architectural elements on monuments. As noted by John Rosenfield, Dynastic Arts of the Kushans, Los Angeles, 1967, p. 248 in his discussion of a closely related door jamb panel in the fine Art Museum, Boston (39.36), drinking and vintaging scenes were the "pre-occupations of the prosperous laity who were sponsors of artworks in monasteries." For further in depth discussion see Benjamin Rowland Jr, "The Vine Scroll in Gandhara:, in Artibus Asiae, vol. 19, no. 3/4, 1956, fig. 1, p. 355.

Published:
"Gandhara in Gotham", Social Register Observer, May 2002, CXVI, p. 50.

Provenance:
Mr. and Mrs. John Crews Rainey, acquired in the 1960s
Christie's, New York, September 23, 2004, lot 11
Private American Collection

Category: Asian Art / Southeast Asian, Indian and Himalayan Art

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