Last Existence: First Sermon; Buddha's death; female figures

Part of a frieze relief preserving two superimposed registers, the lower one showing scenes from the Last Existence and the upper one two female pairs. The registers are separated by a parapet of a balcony decorated with a chequered grid with alternating relief squares between two plain fillets and interrupted on the left by a drape hanging down. The base consists of a plain band, and the cornice is decorated with a row of saw teeth. A circular hole for nail is drilled in the proper-right section of the upper register between the female couple. The back face shows vertical tool marks. The lower register displays two scenes separated by a framed semi-column/half-column of the Gandharan-Corinthian type. The scene on the right probably depicted the First Sermon, of which only two figures remain. After attaining Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha travels to Sarnath. In the Deer Park, he initiates his teachings to the five ascetics with whom he had shared years of practice. A monk is sitting on a low seat, slightly turning to the left. He is wrapped in the overrobe with his hands and feet covered. Next to him, on the left, is a standing monk. He appears to carry an object whose nature cannot be discerned. The scene on the left shows the Buddha's death. Despite being ill after receiving food offerings, the Buddha continues to travel until he is forced to stop at Kuśīnagara. Here, he announces to his retinue that he will soon pass away. He then enters his final meditation and dies, achieving his final nirvāṇa. The Buddha is lying with his left arm bent on a bed. He has a plain nimbus. The bed features turned legs and a drape hanging on the front. On the right, in the foreground, a monk stands with joined hands. In the background are two standing figures. The first is staring at the Buddha’s body, and the second is raising his hands. They both wear a turban and earrings. On the left, the remains of another standing figure can be seen. Two female pairs are depicted in bust-length on the upper register. They are separated by the upper part of Gandharan-Corinthian semi-columns—that on the left is not preserved. The first couple on the right shows a frontal woman with her right hand raised and her left hand resting on the fillet of the register’s dividing element. The second woman, carved in three-quarter, holds a mirror in her left hand. The second couple shows both women resting their right hands over the fillet. All the figures wear a tunic, a large wreath, earrings, and a long necklace.