Art Institute of Chicago

Walking Buddha

Afghanistan or Pakistan

Date

3rd-5th century

Medium

Stucco with traces of pigment

Culture

Gandhara

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This standing Buddha comes from the ancient region of Gandhara (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan), known for its unique artistic style combining Greek naturalism with Indian symbolism. Here the artist depicted the Buddha with the traditional bump on his head ( ushnisha ), a mark of overflowing wisdom. But they also modeled a naturalistic face that evokes the thickset features of a Greek boxer and layered monastic robes ( sanghati ) that recall a Roman toga. The sculpture was likely attached to a dome-shaped funerary monument ( stupa ) within a Buddhist monastic complex. Often the weight of the solid stucco head caused it to fall away from the hollow body, which is why this head and body had to be reattached sometime in the 20th century.

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