The wheel and the first sermon: a reflection on aniconism and Amaravati sculptures in The British Museum

The British Museum possesses one of the most significant collections of sculptures from Amaravati, India, in the world. By discussing four objects in its collection, this brief essay explores the relationship between the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) and aniconic representation. It scrutinises the iconography of the Buddha's first sermon through the emblem of the wheel (chakra, or cakra) and critically discusses the representation of the wheel in the arguments of different scholars. This study reconsiders the meaning of the wheel and the representation of the first sermon to reflect more broadly on aniconism in Buddhist art.