Bodhisattva Maitreya
2nd-3rd century
Asia: Pakistan; Asia: Gandhara
On View

Made in Gandhara, in what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan, this sculpture reflects the international style that was present in this ancient kingdom. Gandhara was located along the Silk Road, the primary mercantile route that connected the East to the West. Buddhist images from this region were influenced by Greco-Roman examples.

The ushnisha or cranial protuberance of this Maitreya is interpreted as a luscious chignon, similar to those used for images of Greek gods and goddesses. The figure wears two necklaces one of which has a charm depicting Poseidon, a god with Greek origins. This suggests that there was a certain degree of religious tolerance in Gandhara at the time of this sculpture’s making. Moreover, the inclusion of this charm along with the figure’s shoes and the relaxed manner in which he wears his robe, suggests that images of male deities were modeled after kings.

Details

  • Title: Bodhisattva Maitreya
  • Date: 2nd-3rd century
  • Medium: Schist
  • Dimensions: 69 x 28 x 10 in. (175.3 x 71.1 x 25.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
  • Accession Number: F.1975.04.1.S
  • Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation

Object Information

Beyond Beauty: Antiquities as Evidence

  • J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997-12-16 to 1999-01-17
  • Leoshko, Janice, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 7 pp. 11-12
  • Lerner, Martin, The Connoisseur, fig. 2 p. 197
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 7 pp. 60-61
  • Knoke, Christine, Arts of Asia, p. 62
  • Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 4 p. 27
  • Munsterberg, Hugo, Art of India and Southeast Asia, 1970, p. 36
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, 1986, fig. 7 pp. 124-125
  • Carter, Silk Road Art and Archaeology 6, 1999, pp. 9-10
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 30 pp. 62-63
  • McArthur, Meher, The Arts of Asia: A Guide to the Materials, Techniques and Styles, 2005, p. 228
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1146 p. 376
  • Meher McArthur, Highlights of Buddhist Art at the Norton Simon Museum, 2018,
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