Detail: alternate view

The youthful Buddhist deity Maitreya is widely worshipped in Asia as the messianic bodhisattva, the Buddha of the future. Here he can be identified by the typical hairstyle and the plinth, in whose centre is carved a domed reliquary or stupa in a shrine. As a bodhisattva, Maitreya was one of the creators of the universe: ‘bodhi’ means knowledge and ‘sattva’ means essence. Having attained enlightenment, Maitreya wished to guide mankind to the true path of Buddha. At present he resides in the Tushita heaven, waiting to become the Buddha of the next great world age.

Maitreya is portrayed in a standing posture, his weight resting on his right leg and his left knee slightly bent. He wears an ankle-length dhoti, sandals ornamented with animal heads, and over his left shoulder a swirling shawl. The collar is decorated with circular and triangular motifs within beaded borders. The bracelet on his upper left arm is covered by the fine fabric of the shawl; that on his right arm bears the design of an open lotus flower. A rope-like necklace incorporates a pair of ferocious makaras, clutching a bead clenched between their jaws. Several amulet boxes are attached to a string worn across his chest.

Maitreya’s hair is arranged in finely incised waving strands, the upper part drawn up into a topknot adorned with jewels and covering the ushnisha, symbol of his infinite wisdom. The bodhisattva wears a moustache and locks of hair fall onto his shoulders. Circular earrings hang in his elongated earlobes, and a fragmentary nimbus encircles his head. Carved in relief on the front of the plinth two devotees, possibly arhats, flank a central pillared shrine that contains the triratna, or three jewels of Buddhism – the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddhist Truth or Law) and the Sangha (the Buddhist monastic community).

This sculpture is a classic example of the Gandhara period, displaying many of the characteristic stylistic traits. The influence of the Hellenistic aesthetic is apparent in the naturalistic treatment of the garments and hairstyle and the realism of the facial expression. The use of schist, the shape of the dhoti and the iconographic elements of purely Indian origin, such as the rich diversity of jewellery and elaborate ornamentation, are all typical of a bodhisattva image created during the period of this distinctive first Buddhist school of art [1].

An aura of serenity and mysticism defines this Maitreya as a fine example of Gandharan art. The sure and convincing carving has an organic rhythm and dynamic force; the body discernable beneath the sheer fabric of the dhoti is vital and powerful. His expression reveals a high level of intellect and humanity, enhancing the inspirational impact of this majestic image.

[1] I. Kurita, Gandharan Art, vol. II, The World of the Buddha, Tokyo, 2003, pl. 14. The facial structure and elaborate topknot of the present, figure is similar to this smaller example in the British Museum. Pl. 18, an upper torso fragment displaying stylistic similarities is in the Sherrier collection.

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