Untitled

Unknown

ca. 2nd century · Schist · Asian Art

Female attendants and guards, one of whom holds a sword, surround Maya, who is sleeping on a bed that has turned legs and is covered with an elegant floral textile. Maya dreams of a six-tusked elephant that descends from heaven to enter her womb through her right side; originally a small elephant would have been depicted in the broken central disk. This miraculous conception marks the Buddha Shakyamuni's final rebirth and physical entrance into this world.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 2nd century

Medium

Schist

Culture

Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill, 1976