Figure of a Greco-Buddhist Boddhisattva from Gandhara. North India - probably Pakistan, 3rd-4th century.

Figure of a Greco-Buddhist Boddhisattva from Gandhara. North India - probably Pakistan, 3rd-4th century.
Schist.
Broken and glued face (100% original); the break line is still visible.
On the reverse, a piece of approximately 13x13 cm broken and re-glued; break line visible.
Measurements: 40 cm (height).

Sculpture in round bulk realized in schist that shows a Boddhisattva, since it presents several lakshana or iconographic symbols typical of the plastic representations of buddhas and bodhisattvas, of sacred meaning: The eyelids are a symbol of spiritual concentration and also of purity, due to their similarity to the petals of the lotus, and complete a serene face with a sketched smile, symbol of the balance and serenity of a perfect being; it is possible to intuit the elongated lobes of the ears, which allude to the large earrings worn by the members of the upper classes in India contemporary to Sakyamuni, and which represent the concepts of greatness, nobility and wisdom.

The historical region of Gandhara, which corresponds to the southeast of present-day Afghanistan, central and northern Pakistan, and northwest India, was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Persian Empire from the 6th century BC, conquered by Alexander the Great, remaining Hellenistic with the Greco-Hindu rulers, until it was annexed to the Kushana Empire (1st - 3rd centuries AD). The Kushans adopted many elements of Hellenistic culture, adapting the Greek alphabet, etc. to their language. It is because of these historical circumstances that Greco-Buddhist art developed in Gandhara, a syncretism between Greek culture and Buddhism. In particular, Hellenistic sculpture was the main source of influence in the art of Gandhara, since it represented the gods in human form. Later the area also had direct relations with the Roman world, through the trade and cultural exchange that developed through the Silk Road, through which Roman coins and sculptures appeared in Gandhara, depicting emperors, high dignitaries and gods. The Greco-Latin influence in this region was key in its artistic development, both for the formal aspects and for the fact that Buddha was represented in human form. In fact, Gandhara will be the first center, together with Mathura, where not only Sakyamuni or historical Buddha is represented in human form, but also other figures of the Buddhist pantheon. This figurative representation will also favor the expansion of Buddhism throughout East Asia.