Pakistan, Gandhara Region, 1st Century Ad, Representation Of Buddha In Gray Shale

Origin: Northern Pakistan
Cultural area: Gandhara
Period: 1st century AD
Dimension: 14 cm
Condition: Visible accidents, earthy deposit
Provenance: Extra-European collection

Stand not included.

Interesting representation of Buddha from Gandhara in gray schist. It is represented in high relief emerging in the center of a thick disc in the middle of lotus petals or solar rays which can thus symbolically represent the spiritual radiance of the Awakened One. The arms are glued alongside the body, the forearm and the hand resting on a balustrade. It features a powerful torso and a face characteristic of Gandharan art. Eyes with half-closed lids frame a flat nose overlooking a small mouth. The forehead is adorned with the uma, the hairstyle in long locks falling on the shoulders and brought in a high chigono at the top of the skull forming the ushnisha.

At the crossroads of the civilizations of Iran, the Greek world, India and nomadic civilizations, Gandhara was for sixteen centuries an almost obligatory passageway for the caravans which linked the West to China. A Hellenistic background maintained by the trade in luxury products exported from the Mediterranean Basi, mingles with Parthian and Indian ifluences in favor of a Buddhist iconography of great sensitivity.