This panel, together with the one showing Maya's dream (1976.402), was part of a larger set that would have sequentially encircled the drum of a small stupa to recount the life of the Buddha. Here, Maya reaches up to grasp a branch of a tree, much like earlier representations of yakshis (female nature deities), and miraculously gives birth to the Buddha out of her right side.
Birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni
Period: Kushan period
Date: ca. 2nd century
Culture: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Medium: Stone
Dimensions: H. 6 15/16 in. (16 cm); W. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); D. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1987
Accession Number: 1987.417.1
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