The cheekbones are high and the chin is strong . His full lips are gently rested together, and his eyes look down, the lids half closed. The paint remaining on the eyes have them looking straight out and downcast. Slight traces of gold leaf cling to this head, which once was covered in gold (now only the brown ground is visible). The ushnisha and elongated earlobes are traditional parts of the iconography of the Buddha. In this statue, the ears are not exaggerated in length, but rather very natural in appearance. Except for the gold leaf the statue bears no ornament, also typical of the Buddha. The last element that betrays the statue as that of a Buddha is the stylized urna , shown sometimes as a literal third eye, and sometimes as a curl of hair between his brows. It is in this case a simple dot, almost like a bindi, a much more natural looking expression of the urna.

             Another piece from along the Silk Road is a plate from Iran . The plate is made of silver with a scene executed in repousse in the center. The flat parts of the scene are gilt. The scene represents the Greek god Dionysus" triumphant arrival in India. Interestingly, this may also link back to Alexander, who is said to have followed Dionysus" route into Asia on his conquests. Like Dionysus, Alexander got hardly farther than India. In the center of the scene sits Dionysus, loosely draped in yards of fabric and holding a bowl of grapes. He is the largest and most central figure of the composition. Next to him sits Ariadne as a goddess. According to mythology, she was the wife of Dionysus. To her left stands the hero Heracles holding his lion skin. To Dionysus" right are two figures exiting the room, possibly two Maenads, his followers and constant companions. Below the platform Dionysus and Ariadne occupy, two small apsara kneel holding a wheel with 8 points inside it. Below them is a figure of a lion and an amphora flanked by two more apsara.