Vortrag von Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen
(Assoziierte Wissenschaftlerin der Abteilung für Asiatische und Islamische Kunstgeschichte, Universität Bonn)
Typological-Stylistic Observations on Early Gandhāran Buddha Images in Stone, c. 1st–3rd Centuries
Montag, 05.06.2023, Beginn: 18.15 Uhr
Ausschließlich via Zoom: https://uni-bonn.zoom.us/j/62848748062?pwd=ZTdVOGlBa0xFWkJ5NExPTkp2SnNyQT09
I shall present my recently developed model of gradually evolving typological stages of the Buddha image, during late pre-Kushan and Kushan rule, in the region referred to as “Gandhāra” (northwestern Pakistan and southeastern Afghanistan). Particularly, the question of the origin and date of the earliest anthropomorphic representation of the historic Buddha (lived ca. fifth-fourth centuries BCE) has been explored for a long time. However, the extremely intricate factual situation has not allowed to arrive at a widely accepted result yet. The major impediment is clearly the worldwide scattering of sculptural remains from Gandhāra, together with a surprising lack of dated inscriptions. I shall explain my arguments for a particular typological-stylistic order of succession, almost exclusively based on features observed on the head portions. One of my new suggestions concerns the possible choice of traits pertaining to the Kushan rulers and their immediate predecessors themselves for designing the Gandhāran Buddha image.