Head of the Buddha

This object is a sculpture of the Buddha created in a similar style to many Greek sculptures before and after it. This Greek style sculpture of a person who is so synonymous with South and East Asian history and religion makes this sculpture very interesting to study in more detail, especially how it relates to Greco-Buddhist art.

The Significance of Cultural Exchange and the Sculpture of the Buddha

The exchange of artistic expression in Gandhara is a keystone in the making of such unique items such as this sculpture, influence from the Greek world was present in the art in Gandhara as much as Gandhara influenced the Greeks that were there briefly as well as the ones who settled around the area.

Hellenic influence has been credited in part for the creation of how we picture the Buddhist faith and the Buddha himself.¹ Other interesting things to spot on this sculpture and other similar ones found nearby is the small bits of paint and paint residue that were found on these sculptures which demonstrates that this artform included expertise in painting as well as the moulding and crafting of the sculptures.

The Stucco Art Form

This sculpture and many similar ones are made with stucco which is a compound made with a number of different parts such as: lime, sand and water. This substance provided a solid material to use for the sculptures and was also used in other things such as carvings for calligraphy.

This art form being used also demonstrated the resources that were available to the craftsmen of Gandhara and is another example of certain artistic techniques from a Greek context being adapted into the geographical context that the art had spread to.

Conflict Within the Historiography Surrounding Greco-Buddhism

Discussion around this topic began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in a period of European colonialism when some of these archaeological discoveries were made. This caused a lot of the interpretations of western scholars about Greco-Buddhist art to emphasise the Greeks role in this exchange under a racist and Euro-centric lens. In a more modern context these views were criticised by scholars such as Huntington: “He surmised, Indian artists were introduced to what he considered a superior sculptural heritage–that of the Greek and classical world”.²

These outdated views are often attributed to Alfred Foucher who was the one to coin the term ‘Greco-Buddhist’ and he is who is being criticised in the above quotation.

Bibliography

• ‘Buddha Wallpaper Royalty Free Images’ Shutterstock
• ‘Head of Buddha’ metropolitan musuem of art.
• Huntington, S. L. 1990. “Early Buddhist Art and the Theory of Aniconism.” Ntu.edu.tw. 1990. https://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ADM/huntin.htm.
• M. Lythgoe, Albert . 1913. “Greco-Buddhist Sculpture.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 8 (6): 133. https://doi.org/10.2307/3252930.