New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2006.

Bodhisattva

Artist Unknown

CultureIndian

Date2nd century (Gandhara School)

MediumStone

Dimensions40 x 15 x 6 in. (101.6 x 38.1 x 15.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 42 x 15 x 6 in. (106.7 x 38.1 x 15.2 cm)

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.269

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 107

Label TextBodhisattva Gandharan, India, 100–200 c.e. Stone Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.269 Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., sought to build a representative collection of the art of the Indian subcontinent but betrayed a love of Gandharan sculptures of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, of which this is the largest and most important example. Gandharan Buddha sculptures reflected the influence of Hellenistic Greek art, the result of the incursion of Alexander the Great into this northern area centuries earlier. They also lack the sense of breath or prana typical of southern examples. The austere figures of the Buddha, the prince Siddhartha who lived in the fifth to fourth century b.c.e., can be distinguished from the Bodhisattva (the prince in his previous lives), where he is luxuriously dressed and wears jewelry, reflecting his continuation in this world.Published ReferencesDon Harrison, "Art Unveiled," _Coastal Virginia Magazine,_ April 2014, 52.