Not on display

Relief plaque

Plaque
10th Century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Relief showing the crowned Buddha in the Mara-vijaya scene. Seated in vajraparyankasana on a lotus placed on a pancharatha pedestal showing bhumishparsa-mudra (earth touching) under a notional bodhi tree represented by two branches. He is surrounded by seven scenes of his life (maha-pratiharya, Great Wonders), beginning with his birth on the lower right hand side. Below in the middle of the pedestal the earth-goddess is shown holding a pot close to the seated, dejected Mara, at the proper left the donor-couple (in this case Siroka and his wife) are shown kneeling with folded hands.

One line inscription on the back "this is the meritorious gift of Siroka" in Sanskrit Gaudiya, a proto-Bengali script.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRelief plaque (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved schist
Brief description
Votive Plaque showing the seated crowned Buddha; talcose schist; Bihar, Eastern India; 10th century.
Physical description
Relief showing the crowned Buddha in the Mara-vijaya scene. Seated in vajraparyankasana on a lotus placed on a pancharatha pedestal showing bhumishparsa-mudra (earth touching) under a notional bodhi tree represented by two branches. He is surrounded by seven scenes of his life (maha-pratiharya, Great Wonders), beginning with his birth on the lower right hand side. Below in the middle of the pedestal the earth-goddess is shown holding a pot close to the seated, dejected Mara, at the proper left the donor-couple (in this case Siroka and his wife) are shown kneeling with folded hands.

One line inscription on the back "this is the meritorious gift of Siroka" in Sanskrit Gaudiya, a proto-Bengali script.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12in
  • Width: 8.5in
Style
Marks and inscriptions
siddam (symbol) deya-dharmmayam // sirokasya (The one line incription in Sanskrit and Gaudiya script ( a proto-Bengali script) reads: siddham (symbol) deya-dharmme [correctly: rmmo] // sirokasya i.e. success, this (image in question) is the meritorious gift of Siroka". Gouriswar Bhattacharya, 13 July 2006. )
Translation
success, this (image in question) is the meritorious gift of Siroka
Credit line
Purchased from Mr H J Parker
Object history
Purchased from Mr H J Parker, 11 South Side, Clapham Common, S.W.4. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1920-3494
Production
Bihar or Bengal, Eastern India.
Subject depicted
Bibliographic reference
Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.26
Collection
Accession number
IM.107-1920

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Record createdMarch 21, 2002
Record URL
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