ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY

The present frieze represents the bodhisattvas Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara. Maitreya is recognizable on the left due to the water pot he carries in his proper left hand. The iconic water vessel, kumbha, is found in many different contexts within Indian sculpture, but is almost always a symbol of fertility and life. Maitreya is considered the Buddha of the future— when the dharma is forgotten on Earth, he will descend from the Tushita Heaven to be born in our realm as the next Buddha. Thus, the vessel is an apt visual icon for his role as a progenitor of future peace and order. When he is born on earth, Maitreya will be of Brahmin stock, and is depicted in rich robes similar to those of the historical Gautama Buddha prior to his renunciation of worldly goods.
The figure on the right can be identified as Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, as he carries a lotus flower in his proper left hand and wear a Buddha amulet in his turban. Both figure's vestments include a beaded hair ornament, geometrically-incised torq, a beaded necklace, and a cord with cylindrical amulet boxes of a type still in use in South Asia. The heavy folds of his sanghati display the naturalistic treatment of drapery characteristic of the Gandharan period that is a holdover from the earlier Greek influence in the region.