Art of South and Southeast Asia Answers

Gandhara Mathura Amaravati

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This is a sculpture of the seated Buddha, shown cross-legged with a halo and an ushnisha. His raised hand makes a gesture of reassurance, while attendants and celestial figures surround him. The sculpture is part of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, which emphasized the Buddha as a transcendent figure worthy of devotion.

This sculpture is commonly known as the Priest-King, a bust from Mohenjo-daro in the ancient Indus Valley. It has a headband with a circular ornament and half-closed, slit-shaped eyes. The figure has a carefully carved beard and thick lips. Its robe is decorated with repeated trefoil patterns.

The Gandhara school of thoutght combined Hellenistic, Persian, and Native styles. The earliest figures come from the Gandharan region. Gandhara flourished from the first century to the fifth. It was distinctly Greco-Roman in style, with the earliest figures had the head of Apollo with the body dressed in a Roman-style toga.

This sculpture is a large rock-cut image of the Buddha carved into the side of a mountain, most likely one of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. It shows elongated earlobes, flowing robes, and a monumental scale that emphasized the Buddha’s spiritual greatness. The sculpture was located in a cliff face along an important trade route, where it could be seen by travelers and pilgrims. Its purpose was religious devotion and to inspire reverence in those who visited the site.

This piece is entitled, Bodhisattva. It was located on the wall of a cave in India. This mural, as was with most murals in ancient India, was painted in mineral pigments on a prepared plaster surface. The piece depicted episodes from the Buddha’s past lives. The subject appeared divine, yet human.

This sculpture is the Male Torso from Harappa, an Indus Valley work known for its naturalistic style. The torso is smooth and simplified, but the body is modeled with careful attention to proportion and realistic form. Its rounded chest and abdomen show an understanding of human anatomy, while the scroll-like shoulders suggest stylized construction. The piece combines realism with abstraction, which makes it especially striking.