Fragment of a Box

Art Historical Context

This delicate *Fragment of a Box*, from stone around the 5th century, hails from the ancient region of Gandhara in present-day Pakistan. Part of the Greco-Buddhist artistic, Gandhara art flourished under the cultural crossroads of Hellenistic influences from Alexander the Great's successors and the rising tide of Buddhism. Sculptors here masterfully blended classical Greek realism—think draped robes and naturalistic poses—with Indian spiritual iconography, creating some of the earliest lifelike images of the BuddhaMeasuring just under 2 inches in height, this small stone fragment likely once a...