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Buddha

3rd century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 235
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: 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
  • Object Number: 2014.188
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Bust of a Bodhisattva, Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Bust of a Bodhisattva
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
ca. 4th–5th century
Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the Future), Gray schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the Future)
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
ca. 3rd century
Seated Buddha, Bronze with traces of gold leaf, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Seated Buddha
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
1st to mid-2nd century
Standing Bodisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the Future), Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Standing Bodisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the Future)
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
ca. 3rd century
Pair of Lions with Attendant, Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Pair of Lions with Attendant
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
3rd–5th century

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Buddha - Pakistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, possibly Takht-i-bahi monastery, ancient region of Gandhara - The Metropolitan Museum of Art