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

Continuous friezes of garland bearers were a popular component of Gandharan architectural design. The present example depicts two attendants hauling a large undulating wreath, with a thickly plumed bird with outstretched wings in the center. These lush garlands were frequently featured in depictions of Jataka tales, in which the Buddha was previously incarnated as a bird, didactically reinforcing the Buddhist approach to the interconnectivity of all sentient beings. See H. Ingolt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, 1957, plates 374-380, for further examples of the garland bearer motif.