parallax background

Ancient Art of Asia

Ancient Oriental Art—from historic Gandhara to India, from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia—is profoundly intertwined with our cultural heritage. It emerged at the intersection of Greco-Roman art with the spiritual visions and aesthetic languages of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Today’s open and vibrant cultural exchanges provide the ideal context for early Hindu-Buddhist art to fully reveal the allure of its antiquity and its timeless aesthetic significance.

Image of Lakshmi Naraiana, Kashmir, 11th century, schist, Dalton Somare Milano

LAKSHMI-NARAIANA (VAIKUNTHA KAMALAJA), Himachal Pradesh

Sakyamuni as an Itinerant Monk Greater Gandhara Kushan Dynasty, 3rd–4th century AD Schist 72 cm bw - Dalton Somaré

Siddhartha Sakyamuni as an Itinerant Monk, Gandharan Art

Fine 13th century painting of Sadakshari Avalokiteshvara from Central Tibet in ink, opaque watercolours and gold on cloth.

Sadakshari Avalokiteshvara, Central Tibet

Buddha Gandhara Dalton Somare 1

Head of the Buddha, Gandharan Art

Kunzang Akor Dalton Somare picture 2

Image of Kunzang Akor, Bon, Tibet

Dalton Somare pdm24

Shiva Mahadeva, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Narrative Panel Dalton Somare Milano

Narrative Panel, The Mara’s Assault, Gandharan Art

Head of Emaciated Buddha Gandhara Dalton Somare

Head of Emaciated Siddhartha, Gandharan Art

Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva Tibet 15th cent. 28 cm

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara – Tibet

Bodhisattva Nepal 16th cent. 63 cm

Bodhisattva in Dharmachakra Mudra – Nepal

Bookcover Nepal 12th cent. circa 67 x 17 cm

Manuscript Cover with Prajñāpāramitā and Tara – Nepal

Hand Historical Gandhara 2nd cent. circa 22 cm

Hand of the Buddha Gandhara – Pakistan

Hari Hara Cambodia Pre Khmer, 7th - 8th cent. 40 cm

Hari Hara – Cambodia

Male Deity Cambodia Bakheng, 10th cent. 84 cm

Male Deity Khmer – Cambodia

Padmapani Bodhisattva India Pala Period, 11th cent. 47 cm

Padmapani Bodhisattva – India

Padmapani Bodhisattva Swat Valley, Pakistan 6th cent. 23 cm

Padmapani Bodhisattva – Swat Valley, Pakistan

Sakya Lama Tibet 14th cent. 33 cm

Sakya Lama – Tibet

Tara Bodhisattva Nepal 16th cent. 57 cm, Dalton Somaré Milano

Bodhisattva Tara – Nepal

The Buddha Western Himalaya 9th cent. 22 cm

The Buddha – Western Himalaya, Kashmir

Antropomorph Uttar Pradesh, India 45 cm

Anthropomorphic Figure – Uttar Pradesh, India