Rijksmuseum

De bodhisattva Maitreya

Date

c. 200 - c. 300

Medium

gilding (material), slate (rock), dye

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, is making the abhaya mudra, or '˜fear not' gesture. His webbed fingers are a sign of his divine nature. This figure shows that Buddhist art in Gandhara, which was in contact via trade routes with regions around the Mediterranean Sea, was influenced by Greco-Roman sculpture. The drapery folds of the Maitreya's lower garment, for instance, recall Roman figures, while his hairstyle is based on representations of the Greek god Apollo.

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