Standing Bodhisattva with Human-Figure Necklace
Kushan period, 2nd/3rd century
Medium
Phyllite
Dimensions
150.5 × 53.3 × 19 cm (59 1/4 × 21 × 8 in.)
Classification
schist
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151086
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This sculpture of a bodhisattva—probably the future Buddha Maitreya—typifies the Gandharan style, which adopted a Hellenistic idiom apparent in such features as the chiseled musculature of the abdomen and the plush folds of the fabrics draped around the body. He sports an elegant chignon, heavy jewelry, a floral headband, a mustache, and an urna—a whorl of hair between the eyebrows that is one of the special lakshanas (marks) of a Buddha. Bodhisattvas, who entered the pantheon of Mahayana Buddhi...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...