The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c8.26

c8.26

Thus, then, we are on the whole well informed as to the where and when, from the rencontre of the two inverse expansions, that of Hellenism towards the east consequent upon the political conquests of Alexander, and that of Buddhism towards the west by favour of the religious missions of Açoka, was born once for all the Indo-Greek type of Buddha. Our geographical and historical quest may, therefore, be considered as ended. But we have as yet accomplished only two-thirds of our task, and the iconographic question awaits almost in its entirety an elucidation. We have indeed from the first glance at the Museum at Lahore seen that, in opposition to the old native school, the image of Buddha is like a trade-mark of the workshops of Gandhâra. It remains to learn how it was itself manufactured. We are agreed that at the time of its composition the Indian material was poured into a western mould: among all the possible results of this operation, which one definitely emerged from the foundry? This we have still to analyse, at the risk of passing from one surprise to another.