The Art of Gandhara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007. — viii, 115 p. — ISBN 9781588392244. Ancient Gandhara, located in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas in what is today northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, was for centuries a thriving center of trade along the Silk Road linking China, South Asia, and the Mediterranean. Gandhara's strategic position and wealth attracted many invaders, including the Greeks, Parthians, and Kushans, who brought with them diverse religious traditions and artistic conventions. Much of Gandharan art is thus a compelling fusion of foreign styles that ultimately gave visual form to the region's Buddhist religious ideals. Buddhism, which had emerged from north India, was embraced by the Gandharan people, whose wealth gave them the means to invest large sums of money in the construction of Buddhist monasteries and sacred areas. More sculpture and architecture made in the service of Buddhism has been found in Greater Gandhara than in any other part of ancient South Asia. Among the earliest remains from Gandhara are luxury items found in urban centers, including intricately carved stone dishes, jewelry, and trade goods carved in bone or ivory, dating from the second century B.C. to the first century A.D. The first art associated with Buddhism dates to the early first century A.D., when carved reliefs embellishing religious architecture began to appear. These reliefs typically illustrate important episodes from the biography of the Buddha, such as his birth, first sermon, and death. Following a gradual decline in the narrative sculptural tradition, devotional images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to appear: iconic representations that were meant to be associated with major concepts in the religion. In Gandhara devotional sculptures grew dramatically in size from about the late fourth to early fifth century A.D., at the same time as their iconography became ever more complex. By the late fifth century A.D., the patronage of Buddhist monuments in Gandhara had begun to decline, but in Afghanistan this artistic tradition flourished until about the eighth century A.D. It was during this late phase in Afghanistan when devotional representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas reached truly monumental proportions, such as the famous Buddhas at Bamiyan. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is fortunate to have in its collections a broad and artistically rich sampling of Gandharan art from almost all phases of the region's history, including a unique bronze statuette of the Buddha Shakyamuni from about the first to second century A.D. In surveying these important works, this volume relies on the latest scholarship to refine our understanding of Gandhara's complex cultural history as well as its evolving artistic traditions.

Gandhara was an ancient region of Pakistan that controlled a series of key passes for Silk Road trade among India, China, and Mediterranean lands. This steady commerce provided the financial foundation for the sustained patronage of luxury goods as well as Buddhist monastic sites and devotional sculpture. Drawing on the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this book traces the complex and changing artistic tradition of Gandhara, from Northwest Pakistan and Eastern Afghanistan in the 2nd century BC until the 8th century.

This book also explores early urban material, international trade, and the emergence and development of Buddhist art in the region, specifically addressing the relic tradition, narrative art, and iconic representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The latest period of production is characterized by the fabrication of monumental imagery as well as the clay and stucco production of Afghanistan.

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Is Fortunate To Have In Its Collections A Broad And Artistically Rich Sampling Of Gandharan Art From Almost All Phases Of The Region's History, Including A Unique Bronze Statuette Of The Buddha Shakyamuni From About The First To Second Century A.d. In Surveying These Works, This Volume Relies On The Latest Scholarship To Refine Our Understanding Of Gandhara's Complex Cultural History As Well As Its Evolving Artistic Traditions.--jacket. Gandharan Cultural History: An Introduction -- Foreign Styles And Urban Tastes -- Early Buddhism In Gandhara: Reliquaries And Narrative Relief Panels -- The Emergency Of Devotional Buddha And Bodhisattva Sculptures -- Late Buddhist Art In Greater Gandhara. Kurt A. Behrendt. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 100-109) And Index.