buddha, Kushan period
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| Description | Most of the earliest known images of Buddhas and other Buddhist deities were produced in northwest India during the Kushan period about six hundred years after the religion was founded. The Kushans descendants of nomads from various parts of Central Asia had settled in parts of Bactria to the northwest of India and ultimately used this stronghold to form an empire that included eastern Parthia the Kabul Valley the Gandhara region of present-day Pakistan and parts of Kashmir and northern India. Although the exact dates of the Kushan period remain controversial it is now generally agreed that the 1st through 3rd centuries CE encompass the height of their rule.There were two major centers of Kushan culture each with its distinctive style: art from the region of Gandhara shows the impact of Hellenistic and Roman sculpture owing in part to the sustained effect of Alexander the Great in that part of the world while art from the city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh displays a traditional Indian aesthetic. Whereas Gandharan art had a strong influence on early Buddhist art in Central Asia and is also briefly reflected in the earliest Chinese Buddhist material Mathuran art had a more profound impact on the development of Buddhist art in India and Southeast Asia.This large standing Buddha which can be dated to the late 2nd or early 3rd century typifies the art of Gandhara. The Buddha wears the traditional garments of an Indian monk: a long cloth known as a dhoti wrapped around the waist is covered by a large shawl draped over his shoulders a portion of which is held in his left hand. The hem of the skirtlike dhoti is lower than that of the shawl helping to distinguish the two garments. Western prototypes are evident in the series of thick heavy folds that obscure the underlying physique as well as the treatment of the Buddha's facial features and his wavy hair. Similarly his posture with a slight sway to the right is reminiscent of the contrapposto position often found in the art of ancient Greece and Rome.At the same time well-established Indian traditions are also visible. These include physical marks (lakshanas) that convey the advanced spiritual state of the Buddha for instance his broad shoulders and long legs which are respectively equated with the shoulders of the lion and the legs of the gazelle. The marks on the Buddha's head and face are the most important. The bump at the top of his head known as an ushnisha refers to his superior wisdom as does the mark in the center of his forehead called an urna. This mark is sometimes called the "third eye" and after the 9th century it is at times depicted as an eye. The Buddha's downcast eyes symbolize his mastery of meditation. Finally his elongated earlobes--which refer to his early life as a prince when he wore heavy earrings that stretched his earlobes--are a reminder to the faithful that seeking enlightenment entails surrendering worldly goods and pleasures.The statue's right hand now broken off was most likely held in the gesture of reassurance (abhayamūdra). In this gesture the hand is raised to shoulder height and shown with the palm out and fingers pointing up. This distinguishes a Buddha engaged in activity from one whose hand gesture (mūdra) would indicate meditation.It is difficult to determine which Buddha is portrayed here but it is probably Śākyamuni Buddha the founder of Buddhism. Śākyamuni is the name given to the historical person Siddhartha Gautama (about 563-483 BCE) after he had achieved enlightenment and become a Buddha ("one who awakened"). Because he is a person responsible for teaching Buddhism during this age (one among countless past and future ages) Śākyamuni is referred to as "the Buddha" to distinguish him from other buddhas in the pantheon. Prior to the Kushan period the Buddha was signified with symbols such as a footprint a tree a wheel (chakra symbol of preaching and ruling) or a burial mound of stone or earth known as a stūpa. Representations of buddhas and other deities in human form first appeared in Indian art in the lst century CE and this dramatic change in iconography reflects equally important changes in the religion. The Buddhism that Śākyamuni taught was austere stressing monks over the laity and focusing on self-reliance in the search for enlightenment. As the religion developed and diversified new deities such as bodhisattvas were introduced and in some schools the worship of Śākyamuni began to stress his transcendence rather than his humanity. It is within this context that images of the Buddha and other deities in human form such as the present sculpture were made and used. |
| Creator | Gandharan, Asian, Indian Sub-Continent, Indian, Gandharan |
| Museum | Asia Society Museum, New York, New York, USA. 1979.003 Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection |
| Beginning Date | 0167 |
| Ending Date | 0233 |
| Date | Kushan period, late 2nd-early 3rd century |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Format (Medium) | Phyllite |
| Format (Extent) | H. 72 in. (182.9 cm) |
| Identifier | CAMIO: ASIA.1979.003 |
| Coverage | Pakistan, Gandhara area |
| Rights | Licensed for non-commercial, educational use. http://www.asiasociety.org/ |
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