Attendant Bearing a Fly Whisk (Chauri)
Unknown Artist
c. 100–150 CE
Medium
red sandstone
Dimensions
h. 55.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession Number
1965.472
About this artwork
This figure would have been one of two flanking a king, the Buddha, or other royal or holy figure. The relaxed stance indicates that he is an attendant, rather than a central icon. Early depictions of the Buddha in India frequently have images of chauri-bearers on either side. They are identifiable as nature divinities called yakshas during this period, but in later periods the Buddha's attendants can be recognized as specific bodhisattvas, who are beings on the path to enlightenment.