Provenance:
European Private Collection, acquired in 2000
Published:
Osmund Bopearachchi, et. al., De l’Indus a l’Oxus Archeologie de l’Asie Centrale, exhibition catalogue, Association IMAGO – Musée de Lattes, 2003, pp. 244-245, 269, no. 229
Hariti sits enthroned above two overturned vessels from which streams of coins spill across the base of the sculpture. Beside her, two attendant yakshas lean toward the overflowing pots, while the goddess herself remains composed beneath a circular aureole. Her broad face is framed by softly-arranged hair gathered into a topknot, and almond-shaped eyes, gently-arched brows, and a restrained smile give her an expression of quiet authority.
The goddess wears a thin chiton gathered beneath her breasts and secured at the shoulders, while a mantle falls across her left shoulder and around her body in deeply-carved folds. The treatment of the drapery reflects the Hellenistic influences that characterize Gandharan sculpture, while the deity herself belongs firmly within the religious landscape of ancient northwestern India.
Two attendant yakshas flank Hariti, leaning toward the overturned vessels at her feet as streams of coins spill across the base of the throne. Their energetic poses contrast with her stillness, reinforcing her association with prosperity and abundance.
According to Buddhist tradition, Hariti was once an ogress who preyed upon children until she was converted by the Buddha. Thereafter she became their protector and was widely venerated as a guardian of fertility, childbirth, and family well-being. Images of Hariti have been discovered across Gandhara, Mathura, the Gangetic plain, and the Deccan, suggesting that her cult extended well beyond its Buddhist origins.
Her lost attribute was almost certainly a cornucopia, an emblem of abundance that appears frequently in Gandharan representations of the goddess. Comparable imagery also appears in Kushan art, reflecting the exchange of artistic ideas across the many cultures that shaped Gandhara.
