Unknown
Buddha Shakyamuni with Indra and Brahma1st-2nd century

On view:

Resnick Pavilion, floor 1

Dark gray granite relief panel with a central haloed seated figure flanked by two standing attendants and a carved architectural niche at right

Stone relief panel with a central seated figure in meditation posture on a throne, flanked by two standing attendant figures and a decorative column at right; foliate motifs and a smaller figure visible above.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Buddha Shakyamuni with Indra and Brahma
Place Made: Pakistan, Gandhara region
Date Made: 1st-2nd century
Medium: Gray schist
Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 8 5/8 x 2 1/8 in. (16.51 x 21.9 x 5.39 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Edward M. Nagel
Accession Number: M.84.225.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: The small stele, originally part of an architectural embellishment, represents the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (traditionally dated to 563–483 BCE) seated on a platform covered by a grass mat shortly after his Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He is flanked on his left by the turbaned Indra, the chief of the gods, and on his right by the ascetic Brahma, the god of creation. They had visited the Buddha shortly after his Enlightenment to entreat him to preach the Buddhist Dharma. Flying celestials above them herald the auspicious event. The Corinthian column at the right is a dividing motif between episodes in the narrative reliefs.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

Unknown
Buddha Shakyamuni with Indra and Brahma1st-2nd century

On view:

Resnick Pavilion, floor 1

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Buddha Shakyamuni with Indra and Brahma
Place Made: Pakistan, Gandhara region
Date Made: 1st-2nd century
Medium: Gray schist
Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 8 5/8 x 2 1/8 in. (16.51 x 21.9 x 5.39 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Edward M. Nagel
Accession Number: M.84.225.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: The small stele, originally part of an architectural embellishment, represents the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (traditionally dated to 563–483 BCE) seated on a platform covered by a grass mat shortly after his Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He is flanked on his left by the turbaned Indra, the chief of the gods, and on his right by the ascetic Brahma, the god of creation. They had visited the Buddha shortly after his Enlightenment to entreat him to preach the Buddhist Dharma. Flying celestials above them herald the auspicious event. The Corinthian column at the right is a dividing motif between episodes in the narrative reliefs.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.