A GANDHARA SCHIST FRIEZE OF THE FIRST SERMON OF BUDDHA, 2nd – 3rd CENTURYGrey schist, with modern metal baseAncient region of Gandhara, 2nd – 3rd centuryThis masterful Schist frieze is a narrative relief of the life of Buddha, representing his first sermon. Held by an atlas-like figure is the triple chakra, flanked by adorant figures. The Buddha's first teaching was called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which means the Turning of the Wheel of Truth. It was given on the full-moon day of July, called Asalha. This discourse was given to the five ascetics who were his former companions, at the Deer Park in Isipatana (now called Sarnath), near Benares, India. Many devas and brahmas (angels and gods) were present to listen to the discourse.The Buddha then taught the five ascetics the Four Noble Truths. They are: the truth of suffering, its cause, its end, and the way to its end. Everything in this world is full of suffering, and the cause of suffering is craving. The end of suffering is nirvana. The way to the end of suffering is via the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha said that he was enlightened only after he understood these Four Noble Truths.The kingdom of Gandhara lasted from 530 BC to 1021 AD, when its last king was murdered by his own troops. It stretched across parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandhara is noted for its distinctive style in Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian artistic influence. Gandharan style flourished and achieved its peak during the Kushan period, from the 1st to the 5th century. In the first century AD, Gandhara was the birthplace of some of the earliest Buddhist images.Shape: Frieze with high relief figures Dimensions: 26.5 cm (height of sculpture alone), 27.5 cm (maximum width), 32 cm (height with base)Weight: approx. 9.6 kilograms (with the base)Provenance: accompanied by a scanned note by Josette Schulmann, Paris, 1973, acquired at Cabinet Portier, Paris, French private collection Condition: Losses and damages as visible on the main picture as well as further images available online. Overall very good preservation given the age of this statueLiterature comparison: A closely comparable frieze is listed as plate 202 in W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum – Vol II. Description is on page 184 in Vol I. Auction result comparison: Christie’s, The Scholar's Vision: The Pal Family CollectionNew York, 20 March 2008, lot 329 (for a very similar frieze).健陀羅片岩雕佛陀第一次講道，二至三世紀灰片岩，現代金屬底座古健陀羅地區，二至三世紀造型： 帶狀裝飾，深浮雕 尺寸： 高26.5 厘米（雕塑），最寬処27.5 厘米，總高 32 厘米重量： 縂重約 9.6 公斤來源： 附帶Josette Schulmann的注釋掃描件，巴黎 1973，購於法國巴黎Cabinet Portier，法國私人收藏 品相：破損処可在網絡提供的照片看到。整體保存良好，與年代相符。