126. * FRAGMENT DE BAS-RELIEF EN SCHISTE GRIS REPRÉSENTANT SIDDHARTHA ET YASODHARA ANCIENNE RÉGION DU GANDHARA, VERS IIIE SIÈCLE 26 x 63 cm (10 1/2 x 24 3/4 in.) A GREY SCHIST RELIEF PANEL OF SIDDHARTHA AND YASODHARA ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY 犍陀羅 約三世紀 灰片岩悉達多與耶輸陀羅石碑 Depicted within the central arch of this panel is prince Siddhartha, holding what appears to be a lotus to his chest. He is seated next to his wife, Yasodhara, who wears similar royal attire to her husband. To the right side of the panel is a pair of musicians while a female performer at the panel's left dances passionately to the music. Two attendant figures standing on balconies flank the royal couple, with the figure on the left awe-struck at the performance while the figure on the right adorns the hall with wreaths of flowers. The depiction of the Siddhartha living in comfort and luxury is a popular trope in both canonical texts and Gandharan art, foreshadowing the moment before his renunciation and journey of enlightenment to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. See other panels with similar scenes in Lyons and Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan 1957, nos. 38 & 39A-B. Provenance: Purchased 1968 in Peshawar, Pakistan European Private Collection