Sakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva

PAKISTAN; Kushan period

This double-sided statue was presumably part of the structure of a temple and might have decorated adjoining rooms, something rarely seen in Gandharan art. Sakyamuni is on one side while Maitreya is on the other side. The two figures share a Sumeru pedestal. The profile of the figures falls in a near straight line from the forehead to the nose. Their wavy hair is built into a topknot. Maitreya was predicted by Sakyamuni as the future Buddha who will be born into a brahmin family. He is thus currently a Bodhisattva. Most Gandharan statues, therefore, depict Maitreya in brahmin attire with his hair tied up. Sakyamuni wears a monastic robe that covers both shoulders while Maitreya wears jewelry and bares his chest in the manner used for Bodhisattvas in Gandhara. The future Buddha is also wearing a mustache and holding the vase that he is associated with in this region.