Central Asia, India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Kushan Period, ca. late 1st to 3rd century CE. A hand-carved red sandstone cross bar with a rounded front face, planar sides, and acutely-angled top and bottom peripheries. The preeminent decorative element is a lotus flower rondel carved in low relief at the center, comprised of a central disc surrounded by two registers of radiating petals. Buddhism emphasizes the lotus as an auspicious symbol of purity and enlightenment, and much of their sculpture and architecture contains floral motifs in reference to the sacred lotus. This carving would have served as an architrave spanning above the tops of two columns, possibly serving as part of a doorway within a shrine or monastery site. The red hues of the natural sandstone and the rest of the decorative carvings must have made for an impressive building. Size: 17.25" L x 2" W x 7.25" H (43.8 cm x 5.1 cm x 18.4 cm)

For a similar lotus fragment, please see the University of Michigan Museum of Art website, accession number 1963/1.90.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#144455

Fragment of a larger piece. Newer loss to lower edge as shown with older chips and losses to peripheries as shown. Surface abrasions to lotus rondel, but sharp details. Mineral and earthen deposits scattered across the surface.