207. * A GREY SCHIST RELIEF OF ATLAS Ancient region of Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century 23 x 19 cm (9 x 7 1/2 in.) Provenance: A Swiss private collection, acquired during the collector's stay in Pakistan as a Swiss diplomat (1968-1972); and thence by descent. Bonhams, London, 13 May 2010, lot 171. Fewer subjects convey the intriguing Greco-Roman legacy in ancient Gandhara more clearly than such Atlas figures lining the bases of its Buddhist stupas. Epitomized by this example, the athleticism and male nudity nod unmistakably to Classical aesthetic ideals. In Greek mythology, Atlas fought on the side of the Titans against the Olympian gods, lost, and was condemned to support the spherical vault of the heavens for eternity. His myth inspired a leitmotif in Greek and Roman architecture of figures upholding architectural superstructures. During a period of heightened contact with the Mediterranean world, the figure of Atlas was adopted in Gandhara. Repeated images of composite Atlas-like figures surrounded the base of stupas, whose solid domes can be understood as symbols for the sky. Other comparable examples of Atlas figures include one sold at Bonhams, Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 22 and one in the Peshawar Museum (Kurita, Gandharan Art, Vol. II, 1990, p. 157, fig. 453).