Ca. 100-300 AD. Gandharan. A schist stone depicting a seated Buddha in a lotus pose – the right leg folded in first and the left leg on top. The Buddha is depicted wearing a flowing robe (samghati) that envelops only one shoulder and a topknot (ushnisha). His hands clasp the samghati at chest level. Behind his head is a large circular halo. He has long pendulous ears, plump lips, and drooping eyes, characteristic of his depictions under the Kushan Dynasty. The Buddha form was used to depict both the original Buddha Gautama as well as anyone who became a Buddha by achieving Nirvana. The Buddha was not expressed in sculpture in Gandhara before the 1st century AD, before which he was only alluded to with symbols. From this time though, Gandharan art depicted Buddhas with a captivating mix of traditional Buddhist iconography and style, and the naturalism and soft features of Classical art, since this region was greatly influenced by the conquests of Alexander the Great many centuries earlier and the subsequent Greek settlers. For more information on Gandharan art, see Jongeward, D. (2019). Buddhist Art Of Gandhara in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Size: L:305mm / W:205mm ; 4.65kg. Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in Belgium; previously in 1970s European collection.