Relief depicting Panchika and Hariti. Gandhara, Kushan period, 2nd–3rd centuries A.D.

Relief depicting Panchika and Hariti. Gandhara, Kushan period, 2nd–3rd centuries CE.
Schist carved in relief.
In good overall condition considering its age.
Measurements: 15 x 13 x 4 cm; 19.5 x 15.5 x 8 cm with base.

This relief depicts Panchika and Hariti, one of the most characteristic guardian pairs in Gandharan art. Both deities frequently appear together in Buddhist sculpture from the 2nd and 3rd centuries: Panchika, associated with wealth and prosperity, and Hariti, an ancient deity who became the protector of children and is linked to fertility and abundance. Examples of this iconography in schist are preserved, among other institutions, at the Ashmolean Museum.

The two figures are depicted seated facing the viewer, in a symmetrical composition that exudes a sense of monumentality despite the small scale. Panchika occupies the left side and holds a long staff-like attribute, while Hariti, on the opposite side, holds a plant motif or cornucopia, symbolizing abundance. The arrangement of the bodies, the folds of the garments, and the three-dimensional rendering of the faces reflect the characteristic fusion of Indian traditions and Greco-Roman figurative models that defines Gandharan sculpture during the Kushan period.