Meditating Buddha

This carved panel depicts the meditating Buddha. The seated figure is represented in an architectural niche which suggests a built rather than rock-cut setting. The small scale suggests that it may have formed part of the decoration at the base of a stupa (shrine).

Here the Buddha wears his monk's robe drawn over both shoulders in a style associated with northern Buddhism. The red sandstone comes from the Uttar Pradesh region of northern India, and the panel is most probably the product of a workshop at Mathura.

The red sandstone identifies this panel as originating in the Mathura region, as does the style of the Buddha and his robes. Although summarily carved, the rendering is convincing and the effect, immediate and engaging.