Artwork Details
8-1/2 x 6-1/4 in.
PeriodGift of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Alsdorf
CopyrightAsian Art (Chinese and other Asian)
Color PaletteMr. and Mrs. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois; given to the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 1963.
Gandhara was the ancient name for the region of the Peshawar Valley, including the Swat Valley and other adjoining regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. From the 1st to 3rd centuries under the rule of the Kushan kings, the region prospered as a major crossroads for trade between Mediterranean countries and China. Thriving merchants and royal patrons endowed countless shrines and monasteries and commissioned much Buddhist artwork. During the 1st century, Gandharan artists began producing images of the Buddha in human form. Before that, only symbols were used. These early images were strongly influenced by Greco-Roman sculptural styles, as seen here in the treatment of the drapery folds and hair.
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