GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY

The representation of the Buddha as a teacher is an early and iconic image. The gesture of the hands in dharmachakramudra is symbolic of the Buddha's turning the Wheel of Law during the his first sermon, which set his teachings, dharma, in motion. Following his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha went into a park near Sarnath and preached his first sermon to five ascetics who then became the first Buddhist monks. The delicate folds indicating the sheerness of the robe, the features of the face and the wavy locks are particularly well carved. For another example of this unusual depiction of the teaching Buddha with the robe over both shoulders and a thick curved neckline, see W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of Ghandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, 1996, pp.87-88, fig.24.