A GREY SCHIST CARVED RELIEF WITH A YAKSHINI AND TWO MALE FIGURES
PROPERTY FROM THE MOITA COLLECTION OF GANDHARA ART
Ancient region of Gandhara, 2nd - 3rd century

Of rectangular shape, deeply carved, the relief divided in two parts, on the left hand-side a yakshini in a stylised salabhanjika pose, caught in the act of twisting a branch with one hand, the other resting on her hip, one foot raised giving an overall sense of movement to the carving, on the right hand-side two standing men in conversation, one wearing a tall headdress, possibly a Bodhisattva, mounted on a later wooden base, 23cm x 20.5cm excluding the base.

Yakshini and female apsaras (semi-divine and celestial creatures) are often represented in the famous salabhanjika pose, leaning on a tree and twisting one of its branches. Their attitude harks back at the pre-Buddhist times when these creatures were associated with the natural world, similarly to nymphs in Greek myths. One of the earliest representations of this pose in a Buddhist context can be found on the Eastern Torana of Sanchi's Stupa. Since then, these figures started populating Buddhist relief panels and often acted as intermezzo decorations in between reliefs telling the life story of the Buddha.