Unknown
India (active Andhra Pradesh, Nagarjunakonda)

Unknown Indian - Fragment of a Frieze Depicting the Birth of Buddha, 2nd c. CE
limestone
29 x 15 x 5 in.

SBMA, Museum purchase with the John and Peggy Maximus Fund
2011.9

SBMA CURATORIAL LABELS

This relief fragment and the next reveal the sophistication of the stonework in the Amravati and Nagarjunakonda region in southeast India, one of the richest Buddhist monastic centers in ancient India. Both are likely remnants of decorative programs that surrounded a large stupa, or Buddhist burial mound.

The upper register shows the feet of the future Buddha bearing emblems—the Wheel of the Law and the Three Jewels. The goose carrying the auspicious lotus in the middle register represents the sky. The head in the lower register is likely that of Maya, Buddha’s mother, her branch-like arm raised during the birth of Buddha from her side—a posture associated with the Hindu tree spirits of fertility, "yakshi".

- India, Southeast Asia, and Himalayas, 2022


The birth of the Buddha is depicted below (see cat. 149), a gander in the middle, and above, the Buddha’s footprints under a parasol flanked by legs of devotees.

- Puja and Piety, 2016