This Buddha image was made during the height of the Kushan Empire (30-375 CE). The Kushans controlled a large territory of Central and South Asia that included parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Centrally located in a web of trade routes connecting the Roman Empire in the west to the Chinese Empire in the east, ideas, religions, technology, artistic styles, and iconography flowed through the Kushan domain. The Kushan Empire significantly influenced the spread and development of Buddhism, and it was during this time that images of the Buddha in human form emerged. Prior to this, the Buddha was represented through symbols like the bodhi tree or an empty throne. 

Two notably different artistic styles of Buddhist art emerge within the Kushan territory. The Gandharan type, which was in conversation with Greco-Roman art, flourished in the Kushan region, now modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Mathuran style, seen in this image of Shakyamuni Buddha, reflects indigenous styles and thrived in Northern India. The artist focused on the perfection of the human figure, visible in the symmetry and smoothness of this Buddha image.

Oliver Webster, Class of 2027, College of the Holy Cross