Relief With Characters And Lions, Stone, Gandhara, 1st To 5th Century

Stone relief (schist) representing a series of characters alternating with lion heads. It is certainly a fragment of a larger relief which was probably part of a Buddhist temple. The artist has depicted gesticulating figures who seem to be in dialogue with each other and with lions, a popular motif in Gandhara art, considered the guardians of the faith.

Gandhara, from the 1st to the 5th century AD.

Length 52 cm, height 7 cm, depth 5 cm.

State of conservation as it appears in the photographs.

The art of the ancient Gandhara region is often called Greco-Buddhist art, because the people of Gandhara drew heavily on Greek art, and the oldest known depictions of Buddha in this region, dating from the 1st century AD BC, are often compared to Greek statues of Apollo. Beginning in the 4th century BC or the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek settlers established towns in the region, leading to intense cultural and material exchanges between the inhabitants of the region and the Greek and Roman worlds, which lasted several centuries.

Free delivery in EU. ! I send packages by insured mail (DPD or DHL). All items are packaged very carefully. Payment by international bank transfer.