Circa 200-300 AD A remarkable example of Kushan artistry, richly carved in grey schist, combining naturalism of the classical Greek style with the Asian serenity of Buddhist art. He displays a serene expression recalling the compassionate disposition of the bodhisattva, who remains in the mortal realm to help sentient being free themselves from its grip of suffering. A beautifully carved statue of a bodhisattva with finely carved head, the nose is aquiline, ears decorated with stylised earrings, an elaborate coiffure that radiated from the top of the head and is fashioned in a loosely parted topknot and a moustache just about his mouth. The bodhisattva is adorned with braided necklace, He is backed by a rounded stylised halo. He is standing on a rectangular plinth which is decorated with another central Bodhisattva and four attendants. For similar see The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Accession Number: 1991.75. Size: L:1140mm / W:380mm ; 30+kg. Property of a Middlesex collector; acquired on the London art market before 2000; formerly in an old English collection since the 1970s.