Last Existence: Māyā's Dream

A relief depicting Māyā’s dream. Māyā, the queen consort of Śuddhodana, dreams of a white elephant entering her womb through her right side. As soon as she wakes up, she finds out to be pregnant. The scene is encased between a framed pillars of the Gandharan-Corinthian type. The base is plain, the cornice is projecting. The back face shows deep vertical tool marks. Māyā is reclining on a bed on her left side, her head is looking back and is laying on a high pillow, the right hand resting on her raised knee. The bed has turned legs, a drape hanging on the front, and a small footstool. Above the figure, a small elephant in a nimbus descends toward the sleeping queen. On both sides of the bed are two mirroring female guardians holding a spear in one hand, while the other is on the hip. In the background, behind Māyā’s head, there is a lamp.