Seated Buddha

This serene sculpture depicts the Buddha, the “enlightened one,” who was originally wealthy prince Siddhartha. Born in what is now Nepal in 480 BCE, Siddhartha renounced his fortune, attained spiritual enlightenment through meditation, and died around 400 BCE. His teachings became the center of the Buddhist faith. Here the Buddha is shown in the seated position for meditation. His missing right hand would have been raised, palm facing outward and fingers extended upward in a symbolic gesture of reassurance to the worshiper. The plinth on which he sits represents a mandala, or diagram, of the five cosmic Buddhas (the Tathagatas). Flanked here by devout donors, they symbolize the four cardinal directions and the center of the cosmos.

The sculpture was carved in the ancient region of Gandhara, today part of northwestern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was a crossroads for commercial and cultural exchange between India and the ancient Mediterranean world. It was where the Buddha was first portrayed in human form, rather than suggested by the depiction of footprints or empty thrones. The idealized features, wavy hair, and draped robes were likely inspired by classical Greek and Roman images of Apollo.