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HaḍḍaDB

The Haḍḍa School of Art: Iconographic Markers

The Bodhisattva

72 works · + 21 debated

The princely figure par excellence, the Bodhisattva of the records shares the Buddha’s idealised face but keeps worldly adornment: an elaborate topknot held by a diadem set with pearls or cabochons, crowns with central ornaments, jewellery. It is the most represented figure in the database.

The distinguishing marks

Each mark points to real records that describe it.

  • Elaborate topknot held by an ornamented diadem (pearls, cabochons)

    See in the database: HADB 57, HADB 58, HADB 59

  • Face idealised “in the manner of the Buddhas”

    See in the database: HADB 58

  • Heavy hair and topknot, sometimes with no surviving ornament

    See in the database: HADB 43

Three works to learn to look

The traits are marked by a worried expression accentuated by the irregularity of the face. The hair, curled and treated in waves, is damaged. The elaborate bun, made up of large curls, is held in place by a half-circle diadem. Only two small pearls can be seen on the side of the damaged tiara. The nose is long, slightly arched. The mouth is thin and does not smile. The ears are broken but show the deformed earlobes. Just above the eyebrows, the forehead is decorated with the ūrṇā.

The hair of this Bodhisattva is rendered in wavy strands parallel to the forehead. A semi-circular tiara with a central decoration holds part of the hair. The arch of the tiara is underlined by a moulding in hollow. The face is idealised in the manner of the Buddha.

Bodhisattva head with a delicate, almost feminine face. On the front of the forehead, the hair is treated in large wavy locks. The bun is stylised: notches mark the wave. It bears a diadem, a sort of broad crown that ends in a central point. The headdress is highlighted by recessed mouldings and is decorated with cabochons and a central pearl. The face is of the Indian type, soft, idealised and smiling.

Not to be confused with

All identified works

Tapa Kalān26 works

Tapa-i Kafarihā25 works

Debated identifications

The database itself leaves these records open: their titles hesitate between several figures. They are part of the lesson: identifying means weighing clues.

This figure in the tours

Guided tours of the database include several works of this figure.

In the identification key

The observation paths that lead to this figure in the questionnaire. Each path can be replayed.

  1. Idealised and sereneTopknot on the crown, wave-patterned hair, no jewelleryHeavy topknot, but no distended lobes or visible ūrṇā
  2. Idealised and sereneElaborate topknot held by an ornamented diadem (pearls, cabochons)
  3. The face is missing, I mainly see the bodyAdorned torso: jewellery, scarves, or an object held in handPrincely jewellery and adornments