Detail of a Buddha from Gandhara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2018

Buddha

Date: 3rd century

Culture: Pakistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, possibly Takht-i-bahi monastery, ancient region of Gandhara

Medium: Schist

Dimensions: H. 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm); W. 11 in. (27.9 cm); D. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Purchase, Denise and Andrew Saul Gift, in honor of Maxwell K. Hearn, 2014

Accession Number: 2014.188


This refined Buddha, the finest example of this iconic image type to appear on the market in at least the last decade, is the product of one of the great workshops active in the central Gandharan region of modern day Pakistan. It is of exceptional quality and must have been done by a master sculptor as is evidenced by the figure’s beautifully carved face, dramatically cascading drapery folds, naturalistic hair and finely finished surface. The quality of the dense schist used for this sculpture is another indication that it was produced for an elite patron.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/646117