Kabul: Maitreya Bodhisattva

AFGHANISTAN, Kabul

This carving was unearthed from Kabul. It depicts Maitreya Bodhisattva seated in full lotus position, with both hands holding a vase at the chest. The figure’s hair is in a high topknot, and the headdress is decorated with a vase. Curled hair spills to the shoulders from beneath the headdress, and ribbons cut in low relief flutter from behind it. Over the robust body, the Bodhisattva wears a profusion of necklaces as well as ornamented bracelets and wristlets, which is often seen on Gandharan sculptures of this Bodhisattva. However, the way the stoles drape about the body is more similar to sculptures from the Kushan period (circa 1st–3rd century), except these are stiffer in appearance and may have been influenced by the style of northeastern India.