Gandhara Grey Schist Buddha Relief with Attendant Figures, Kushan-Era Style Stone Panel, 32 cm

Gandhara workshops along the Silk Road produced some of Buddhism's earliest narrative sculpture, and this 32 cm grey schist panel shows their command of the form. The Buddha sits at its center in meditative calm, attendants on either side set slightly smaller, the whole carved as one tableau to stand against a niche, altar or wall.

The Piece

This relief is a Gandhara schist composition depicting a seated Buddha attended by flanking figures, carved as a unified devotional tableau rather than an isolated icon. Executed in dark grey stone, it demonstrates the Gandhara tradition's ability to compress narrative, hierarchy and calm authority into a single architectural form.

At the center the Buddha sits in meditative composure, hands arranged with disciplined clarity and drapery falling in rhythmic, architectural folds. The body is grounded and frontal, establishing the axis of stillness around which the surrounding figures are arranged. The flanking attendants, likely bodhisattvas or revered disciples, stand in quiet support, their proportions slightly reduced to reinforce hierarchy and to guide the viewer's gaze inward.

The carved halo and backing slab unify the composition into a single devotional object. Rather than a free-standing sculpture, the relief was conceived for placement against a surface, altar or architectural niche, a format in which Gandhara workshops kept complex iconography legible and calm.

Gandhara Buddhist reliefs originate from the Silk Road cultural sphere, associated primarily with present-day Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan during the Kushan period and related eras. In a Japan-based collection such a piece becomes a historical bridge, showing how early Buddhist narrative sculpture prefigured later developments across Asia, and it rewards sustained looking with its hierarchy, balance and early narrative logic.

Details

• Type: Stone Buddhist relief sculpture (Buddha with attendants)
• Era: Gandhara / Kushan-era style; antique, 100+ years
• Origin: Pakistan (Gandhara region, ancient)
• Material: Grey schist (Gandhara stone)
• Measurements: Height approx. 32 cm (estimated width ~26 cm, depth ~10 cm)
• Weight: Estimated item weight ~14 kg; safe packaged weight ~20 kg; estimated packed size ~45 × 35 × 20 cm
• HS Code: 9706.00

Condition

• Condition consistent with antique stone relief: surface wear, softened edges and minor abrasions reflect age and historical handling rather than modern damage.
• No modern restoration is assumed without in-hand examination.
• Stone reliefs benefit from stable placement and careful handling; minor surface variation is consistent with age.

Figures in the Relief

• Buddha (seated): the awakened teacher, the compositional and spiritual center.
• Attendant figures: supporting bodhisattvas or disciples framing the central teaching presence.
• Gandhara tradition: a Buddhist art tradition shaped along the Silk Road, known for naturalistic carving and architectural drapery.

Authenticity & Care

Exact dating and workshop attribution should be treated as probable without in-hand examination. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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