Gandhara art

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c. 100 BC – 500 · Asia · sculpture, architecture · origin: Taxila, Gandhara

The Buddha in a Greek mantle: Hellenistic sculpture in the service of Buddhism

How to recognise it

• Apollo-like Buddha with wavy hair
• Heavy toga-like folds of the robe
• Grey schist and stucco
• Reliefs of the Buddha's life on stupas
• Corinthian capitals beside lotuses

Why it emerged

Greek craftsmen settled in Gandhara after Alexander, and the Kushan Empire linked Rome, India and China by trade. Mahayana Buddhism first wished to see the Buddha in human form and took the Hellenistic statue as its model.

Examples

Bimaran casketc. 30Gold reliquary bearing one of the earliest images of the Buddha in human formTakht-i-Bahic. 46Gandhara's most complete hilltop monastery: stupa court, cells and assembly hallsKanishka casketc. 127Kanishka's bronze reliquary with Buddha and inscription — an anchor of Kushan datingJaulianc. 150Stupas lined with rows of stucco Buddhas — Gandharan decor still in placeBuddhas of Bamiyanc. 570–61855 m cliff Buddhas on the Silk Road; blown up by the Taliban in 2001

How it spread

• 100 BC Taxila
• 50 Purushapura (Peshawar)
• 100 Hadda
• 300 Kizil, Kucha
• 366 Dunhuang
• 460 Yungang
• 500 Bamiyan

Meanwhile elsewhere

• Ancient Egyptian art Africa
• Nok terracottas Africa
• Hellenistic art Europe
• Ancient Roman art Europe
• Classic Maya art Americas
• Byzantine art Europe

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