Donor Figure
Ancient India, Region of Gandhara
Kushan Period, 3rd – 4th century
Stucco with traces of polychrome
Height: 40 ½ inches (102.9 cm)

Wearing a plain long-sleeved tunic gathered at the waist by a simple belt, a male donor figure holds a small shrine in his right hand and supports it with his left. If the figure is meant to be wearing trousers, they were left unarticulated. The feet are shod in boots. In a sort of bowl-cut style, the wavy hair is combed down over the forehead. The donor wears an undulant moustache and the earlobes are pierced, but no earplugs are worn. The figure is simply adorned with a ring on the index finger of the right hand, a bangle on each wrist, and a collar around the neck. Traces of polychrome remain on the surface throughout the sculpture.

The shrine-house carried by the donor is simply carved and decorated with a triangular design. The center of the portable has been carved out and it is possible it once held a small votive image.

The large size and the high relief of this donor figure are especially noteworthy. Donors were usually placed in subsidiary locations in shrines and used as architectural framing figures. This example may have been located in a somewhat more prominent position within the shrine because of its unusually large size and sensitive carving.