Torso of a Standing Buddha

5th century

Buddha images of the Gupta period handsomely blend characteristics of naturalism with iconography such as a clinging garment or a standing posture with a slightly bent right knee. This particular example is the product of a school at Sarnath that developed a spiritually reflective sculptural style with smooth, subtle modeling. This style gradually became the most influential model both within India and beyond.

The naturalistic rendering of this figure and the monastic robe conceived as a diaphanous cloth covering both shoulders with smooth, clinging drapery are typical of figures from a fifth-century Buddhist monastery at Sarnath, site of the Buddha Sakyamuni's first sermon.