Seated Buddha Bronze, 1st to mid-2nd century, Gandhara (modern Pakistan). Collection of the Met
Seated Buddha Bronze, 1st to mid-2nd century, Gandhara (modern Pakistan). Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (X). This is one of the earliest depictions of the Buddha in human form. Gandharan artists were familiar with Greek and Roman art from military expeditions, diplomacy, and trade. This Buddha’s unique halo is reminiscent of depictions of the god Helios in Greek and Sol in Roman art. The drape of the tunic echoes Hellenistic and Roman garments, as well as depictions of the Iranian god Mithra, and the Roman god Mithras. See also: Flintoff, Everard. “Pyrrho and India.” Phronesis, vol. 25, no. 1, 1980, pp. 88–108. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4182084. Accessed 26 Dec. 2020.McEvilley, Thomas. “Pyrrhonism and Mādhyamika.” Philosophy East and West, vol. 32, no. 1, 1982, pp. 3–35. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1398749. Accessed 26 Dec. 2020.Soper, Alexander C. “Aspects of Light Symbolism in Gandhāran Sculpture.” Artibus Asiae, vol. 12, no. 3, 1949, pp. 252–283. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3248387. Accessed 18 Dec. 2020. -- source link
#gandharan sculpture#the buddha#helios#sol#mithras