NARRATOR:
This stone relief probably decorated the square base of a circular Buddhist shrine, called a stupa, where devotees could see it as they walked clockwise around the building. That’s why the story reads from right to left. The scenes are separated by columns with lively cherubs, a motif borrowed from classical Greco-Roman art. The Buddha is easy to recognize because he is larger than the other figures.
The story picks up in the panel on the right:
STORYTELLER:
One evening, the Buddha sought refuge in a fire temple. The temple’s chief priest, Kasyapa warned him of a vicious snake that dwelt within, but the Buddha entered undaunted. The next morning, the Buddha emerged unscathed, the snake lying tamely in his alms bowl. Kasyapa recoiled in disbelief and terror.
NARRATOR:
In the panel to the left is the finale of the story:
STORYTELLER:
The Buddha, surrounded by admirers, released the tranquil snake into the cosmic ocean.
NARRATOR:
Here, the ocean is represented by flowering lotus plants. Just to the left, the figure with his arm in a sling may be Kasyapa.
Buddha Subdues the Serpent and Converts Uruvilva Kasyapa
2nd-3rd century
Asia: Pakistan; Asia: Gandhara
On View
Details
- Title: Buddha Subdues the Serpent and Converts Uruvilva Kasyapa
- Date: 2nd-3rd century
- Medium: Schist
- Dimensions: 8-1/2 x 29-3/4 x 2-1/2 in. (21.6 x 75.6 x 6.4 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.14.6.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Leoshko, Janice, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 10 p. 14
- Kurita, Isao, Gandharan Art, 1988,
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 27 p. 59
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1204 p. 382
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