Seated Buddha in the Attitude of Preaching, 2nd-3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan Region (Kushan Empire). Phyllite. H. 63 cm. The Walters Art Museum, Bequest of A. B. Griswold, 1992, 25.123.

The Buddha's hand gesture, or mudra, is called dharma-chakra. It reveals the Buddha to be preaching a sermon in which he explains the four Noble Truths of human existence and the path to enlightenment. Many sculptures of this type were created in the Gandharan region of present-day Pakistan. This region had fallen under the control of Alexander the Great during his conquest in the 4th century BC, and the sculptors there were greatly influenced by Greco-Roman artistic traditions.