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Silk Road Collection
Central Asia

Statue of Bodhisattva Maitreya Sitting Cross-Legged

  • Central Asia
  • Gandhara, Pakistan
  • from the 2nd to the 3rd centuries AD
  • The Kushan Dynasty
  • grey schist
  • 62.0cm in height

A Brahman style Bosatsu with part of its hair tied on the top of the head and the rest hanging down. It is likely to be a Miroku Bosatsu that held a water jug in its left hand. It is believed that Miroku Bosatsu was the next to appear in this world after Sakya, and that it would become a Buddha. The way its hair is tied on top of the head is in the style of young Greeks, the way its legs are crossed originates from statues of royalties of the nomadic people. The crossed legs are described as agura.