A red Sikri sandstone hand of Buddha
Northern India, Kushan Period, 2nd Centurythe hand depicted from the front, the fingers curved slightly inwards, the tips carved with swastikas and floral knots, mounted
19cm. high注脚Provenance
Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 1982
Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection, California

The tips of the fingers are carved with auspicious symbols, including swastikas and floral knots. They are part of the system of identifying marks that emphasise the Buddha's unique nature. Sculptors rarely took such pains to detail them: most examples repeat lotus roundels (cf. Ahuja, Early Indian Art at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2016, no.92; EA1997.186).