Bust of a Bodhisattva, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara), ca. 4th–5th century. Schist. H. 76.2 cm, W. 43.2 cm, D. 22.9 cm. Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1942, 42.25.15. © 2000–2023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This image was made at a time when the naturalism of the earlier sculptural tradition was giving way to a greater formality, as artists strove to depict enlightened beings. The elaborate hairstyle, with topknot and hair flowing behind the shoulders, suggests that the sculpture represents Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. This image was once embellished with metal elements—note the iron remains of an attachment in his left ear and the holes for affixing metal decorative elements along edge of his jeweled hair ornament.