According to the former owner, this statue came from the environs of Peshawar, which once formed part of the province of Gandhara. During the first to fourth centuries A.D. this province (now a part of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan), was a major centre for Buddhist art. It was also a centre of trade with the west. Gandhara art shows clear signs of Hellenistic and Roman influence. This influence is evident in this item in the modelling of the face, the hair and the clothing.