Gandhāran art is well known for the Hellenistic legacy in its art and architecture, and its emergence and flourishing under the Kushan rulers has been the subject of numerous studies. Less attention has been paid to its gradual demise in the area covered by modern Pakistan and neighbouring regions, and to the transitional period from Kushan rule to the Gupta period. However, it is at this time that some of its art fully reflects early Mahāyāna ideas, that Kharosthi script is replaced by Brahmi, and that figural art proliferates and stucco appears to become the most prominent sculptural material. For this period, different academic disciplines base their theories on diverging sets of assumptions and rarely speak to each other. This conference aims to facilitate a dialogue across these disciplines and to bring the academic discourse on this period up to date.

Organised by SOAS and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The Courtauld, and supported by the ERC Synergy Grant 'Beyond Boundaries: Religion, Region, Language and the State', this conference will be held at The Courtauld Institute of Art, and will comprise an opening lecture and reception on the evening of Friday 12 May, followed by a day of 8 lectures on Saturday 13 May .