figure. 100s-200s. Museum Exchange for Charles Bayly, Jr. Collection. 1954.23.

height: 11 1/8 in, 28.2575 cm; width: 5 1/8 in, 13.0175 cm; depth: 3 in, 7.62 cm; mount height: 1/4 in, 0.635 cm; mount width: 5 1/2 in, 13.97 cm; mount depth: 4 in, 10.16 cm

Arts of Asia

Arts of Asia

Buddha
100s-200s
Gandhara (Present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan)
Schist
Charles Bayley Jr. Collection
1954.23

Images of the Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, begin to appear in Gandhara in the second to third century. Arriving as foreigners from the East Asian steppes, the Kushans developed a style of art influenced by the earlier Greek and Roman styles in the West, known to this region because several hundred years earlier, Alexander the Great's legions crossed the Indus river and established trade relations and settlements that flourished well into Roman times. The Buddha's draped robes with stylizedfolds show the influence of classical sculpture, as does his wavy hair, which harkens back to a style seen in images of the Greek god Apollo. The elongated earlobes and the protuberance on the head are characteristics associated with the Shakyamuni Buddha. 

H. Medill Sarkisian [1909-1993] (Sarkisian's Rugs & Fine Art), Denver, CO, by 1952; by exchange, Denver Art Museum, 1954.

• "Art of India and Southeast Asia," Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois, May 17, 1964–June 14, 1964
• "Ancient Indian Sculpture and Painting," Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana, Spring 1965
• "Linking Asia: Art, Trade, and Devotion," Denver Art Museum, December 17, 2017-April 1, 2018, no. 82