This interesting and unusual piece can be dated to the beginning of Gandharan art, more precisely to the Indo-Parthian domination. Gandharan art is easily recognisable by its subject matter, but also by its form, which tends to be strongly influenced by Greek aesthetic canons. Proto-Gandharan pieces, such as this one, display a particular style, influenced less by Greek forms and more by Indo-Parthian art. The Parthians, taking control of Eastern India in the first century BC, ended the last remnants of Greek rule. However, they continued to support Greek artistic traditions, paving the way for the development of so-called ‘Graeco-Buddhist art’. This was known afterwards as Gandharan art, which enjoyed its most florid period between the second and fourth century AD.
