Relief of a Buddhist monk Stone, schist Gandhara, 1st - 2nd century A.D. 20,5 cm height and 17 cm width. Condition: Very good, see photos. Provenance: Private collection, France, 1970. The Buddhist reliefs of Gandharan culture, carved mainly from schist stone, are one of the most outstanding manifestations of religious art in the Indian subcontinent. Gandhara culture, which flourished between the 1st and 5th centuries AD in the regions of present-day northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, was characterized by the fusion of Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian influences, a product of the intense cultural exchange along the Silk Road. Schist, a fine-grained, bluish-gray metamorphic rock, allowed sculptors to create reliefs with great precision and detail. They depicted scenes from the life of the Buddha, episodes from his jātakas (previous lives), and various figures of bodhisattvas, monks, and devotees. These works are distinguished by their classical naturalism, visible in the realistic folds of the clothing, the serene faces, and the balanced compositions inspired by Hellenistic art. The reliefs decorated temples and stupas, serving as visual narratives that conveyed Buddhist teachings to the faithful. In addition to their religious value, they reflect the technical sophistication and cultural diversity of Gandhara, where art became a bridge between East and West, shaping a universal Buddhist iconography.