Greco-buddhist Art From Gandhara, Bodhisattva Head, 1st Century Bc–4th Century Ad

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Fragment of a bas-relief in gray-blue schist (a material typical ofGandhara) depicting a Bhodhisattva’s head in profile
Custom-made modern base in steel and brass
1st century BC – 4th century AD

Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 1.5 cm
Dimensions with base: 10.5 x 3.2 x 3.2 cm

Normal signs of wear

Greco-Buddhist art refers to the body of pictorial,sculptural, metalwork, and numismatic works resulting from the synthesis of Greek andIndo-Buddhist styles. This art form first emerged in Gandhara (Pakistan, in thePeshawar region, corresponding to the territory of the easternmost satrapy ofthe Achaemenid Persian Empire) at the beginning of the Common Era, under the Kushan Empire,thanks to the cultural encounter between the nomadic peoples of Central Asia,the Greek world, the Indian world, and the Iranian-Persian world. Greco-Buddhist art ischaracterized in particular by a strong sense of realism derived from Hellenistic art,conveying movement, emotion, and the vitality of the human form—a style applied not onlyto the traditional figures of Eastern Greek art but also to depictions ofthe Buddha, bodhisattvas, and scenes associated with Buddhism. The worksbelonging to this artistic tradition have come to our attention primarily through19th-century looting and Orientalism, and later through majorarchaeological excavations conducted with the collaboration of various countries, including the United Kingdom,France, and Italy in the 20th century.