Last Existence: Offering of Dust, Taming of the Elephant

A panel representing two scenes from the Last Existence. The base is a plain fillet, the cornice includes a sequence of four fillets, of which the second and largest one is decorated with a row of saw-teeth. On the back of the panel there are some large vertical chisel marks on the lower right quadrant. On the top there is a horizontal socket for cramp at each end. Both sides of the relief present vertical continuous rebated joints. The first scene depicts the Offering of Dust. Jaya and Vijaya, two boys of good family, see the Buddha while playing with dust or clay and put a handful in his begging bowl as offering. The Buddha predicts Jaya’s rebirth as the emperor Aśoka. Buddha stands in the middle slightly turned to his left, the right hand raised in abhayamudrā, and the left hand holding the begging bowl toward the boys. His hair is parted in middle with horizontal broken waves and not-separate uṣṇīṣa, he has a plain nimbus and globular eyes. Behind him stands in profile Vajrapāṇi. He holds the vajra in his raised left hand, wears a short sleeved tunic. His hair is arranged in curls around the face. Behind Vajrapāṇi, in the upper background, emerges the upper body of a monk wrapped in his robe. To the opposite site, in front of the Buddha are shown two naked boys. Both wear a short necklace and large earrings, and have their hands joined in veneration. The taller one has flowing hair parted in the centre and a bundle of hair tied in a knot falling on the mid-forehead. The second boy has hair with curls, and a bundle of hair tied in a knot falling on the mid-forehead. Between the Buddha and the first boy, a female figure emerges from the background. She wears a tunic and jewels (long necklace, bracelets, earrings), the hair is arranged in curls around the face with a large wreath on the head and a bun of hair on the back. To the end of the scene there is a tree with upward branches and lanceolate leaves. The next scene represents the Taming of the Elephant. The story tells of one of the many attempts of the jealous Devadatta to kill his cousin the Buddha. One day, when the Buddha was in Rājagṛha, Devadatta releases a mad elephant to harm the Blessed One. The animal rushes against the Buddha but its fury is contained by his loving-kindness. Caressing the forehead of the elephant with a calming hand, the Buddha pacifies the animal. On the right stands a monk in left profile, next to him a fly whisk bearer stands frontal, with the almost in left profile looking at the Buddha. He carries a fly whisk in the left and has the right hand raised in a gesture of adoration (mukula-hāsta). His legs are crossed, and he wears a short dhotī. He has a muscular body and short curly hair. In the background, above these two figures, emerge the busts of two monks. In the centre of the scene stands the Buddha, his left hand grabs a hem of the overrobe, he has a plain nimbus around the head. His hair is parted in middle with horizontal broken waves and separate uṣṇīṣa, he has bulging eyes. The Buddha with his right hand pets the forehead of an elephant. The animal is shown walking in right profile emerging from a city gate of western type with only the hindlegs visible. The door architrave is decorated with a chequered grid with alternating relief squares. The two scenes are separated by a pilaster of the Gandharan-Corinthian type with a Buddha on the shaft. The buddha is sitting in dhyānamudrā and padmāsana over an open lotus with reverse petals. He is wrapped in the saṃghāti with covered hands and feet.