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Buddha granting protection

early 2nd century CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The standing Buddha seen here is dressed in simple monastic robes. Behind both shoulders are the remains of a scalloped nimbus, or rayed disk, denoting sanctity and perhaps intended as a solar symbol evoking the radiance of the Buddha-body. The deity assumes the guise of a kinglike protector. His martial stance, feet apart and hand on hip, echoes the early standing portrait sculptures of King Kaniska I (reigned ca. 127–50 CE). This unprecedented portrait type, which also borrows from the monumentality of the yaksha (nature deity) sculptural tradition, was in turn imitated on gold coins issued by Kaniska.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Buddha granting protection
  • Period: Kushana
  • Date: early 2nd century CE
  • Culture: India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 54 in. (137.2 cm); W. 29 in. (73.7 cm); D. 12 in. (30.5 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by a private collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art