ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY CE

The present double-sided bust depicts Buddha Shakyamuni on one side, and presumably the bodhisattva (and future Buddha) Maitreya on the other. The hairstyle of the bodhisattva, with the locks of hair tied up in a topknot, is most commonly associated in the Gandharan context with Maitreya. As he is regarded as the future Buddha, the pairing of Maitreya with the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, in this double-sided bust reassuringly represents the spiritual enlightenment of the present era and projects future prosperity and peace in the era of Maitreya.