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Asian Art
Public domain

The Great Departure of the Buddha

2nd–3rd century C.E.

Gray schist

6 13/16 × 9 7/16 × 2 in. (17.3 × 24 × 5.1 cm) Relief: 6 1/8 × 9 1/8 × 2 in. (15.6 × 23.2 × 5.1 cm)
Purchase for the George C. Barclay Collection from the Blanche Barclay Credit
1953.31.2
“The Great Departure” illustrates the moment when the historical Buddha Shakyamuni rejected his palatial home and snuck out in the middle of the night to begin his long and arduous search for enlightenment.
Geography: 
Pakistan
Status: 
On view
Culture: 
Pakistani, Gandharan
Period: 
Kushan period (ca. late 1st–early 4th century)
Classification: 
Sculpture
Provenance: 

Purchased in India by J. LeRoy Davidson in 1952-1953; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.