Stone sculptures were produced in great quantities for the Buddhist monasteries of Gandhara. These images would once have been coated with a fine stucco plaster and painted, in order to give a more colourful appearance. Stucco itself, skilfully modelled around a mud core, was also used as an alternative to stone. The width of this panel suggests that it was probably placed on a building as decoration. Gandharan art was heavily influenced by the expansion of Hellenistic culture, with statues and panels often displaying influences from Greek art.
To find out more about Gandharan art please see our relevant blog post: The Influence of Greek Art on Gandharan Statues.
