Last Existence: Birth Cycle

Fragment of a frieze with two superimposed registers, the upper one is not preserved, the lower one depicting two episodes from the Birth Cycle. The two registers are separated by a row of vertical acanthus leaves. There are large parallel chisel marks on the back. The scene on the right probably depicted the Buddha’s birth. In the Lumbinī Park, Māyā gives birth to Siddhārtha holding the branches of a śāla tree. The infant Siddhārtha emerges from the right side. Gods and supernatural beings witness the event. Only two standing male figures remain. They stand, slightly turned to their left, in a gesture of veneration with joined hands. They both wear a turban and globular earrings. The next scene depicts the First Bath. Soon after his birth, Prince Siddhārtha walks seven steps and proclaims this was his last rebirth. Then, two streams of water poured by gods wash the body of the newborn. The infant bodhisattva stands on a stool with three legs. Part of his nimbus is still visible. On his side there is a kneeling figure holding his hand, remnant of a similar figure are visible on the opposite side. On the background there are scant traces of a standing male figure wearing an uttarīya and a flat necklace. The two scenes are separated by an encased semi-column of Gandharan-Corinthian type. Traces of the feet of a figure remain on the right.