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Kushan, MathuraSlide 10842Gallery - IMG0073Title: Herakles and the Nemean Lion, Indian Museum, CalcuttaFurther testifying to the fact that Mathura did indeed draw influence from the Hellenistic world is found in this sculpture of Hercules and the Nemean lion. While it may be difficult to make out, Hercules is shown struggling with a lion. An attribute of Hercules in Greco-Roman art is his cape of a lion’s skin. This too is depicted on the sculpture. Even though there has been some question as to whether or not the figure represented is truly Hercules, it is not necessary to confine the discussion of the work to this iconographic problem in order to recognize its classical heritage or its distinctively Indiantranslation of forms. The proportions of the man’s body are decidedly Indian in character—note the relation between the trunk and the legs, for instance—and the subtle modeling of both man and beast are indicative of Mathuran sensitivity as well. This is, however, one of the few nude male sculptures in Indian art, and for this period it is an extremely rare subject. The intricate juxtaposition of the two figures in space in high relief sculpture is indicative of Kushan art at Mathura..Slide 20842Gallery - IMG0074Title: Bodhisattva Shakyamuni dedicated by Friar Bala, Archaeological Museum, SarnathAccording to the inscription on the base of the Bodhisattva of Friar Bala, the image was agift of that friar and was executed just before or just after 100 A.D. The inscription states that the figure is a Bodhisattave but for all artistic and stylistic purposes, it is a Buddha image, one of the first to depart from strictly aniconic symbolism and to render the masterin a human form. The figure originally stood before a tall column which supported both the image and a large parasol over it, curved with the signs of the zodiac. At the foot of the statue is a lion representing the image of the Buddha as a lion among men and referring to his royal origin.There is still a very geometric character to the technique used on the Bodhisattva image that is characteristic of early Buddha figures. Emphasis has been placed on linear patterning of drapery and on abstract bodily features, especially the face. Overall, the form is massive and gives a profound monumentality to the Buddha image. As such, it is an offspring of the Parkham Yaksha. Slide 30842Gallery - IMG0077Title: Head of Tirthankara, National Gallery, LondonIt is often difficult to pick out the difference between a Jain and a Buddhist figure. This head, often ascribed as a Jain Tirthankara, is an excellent example of the Mathuran style. The forms are curvilinear and give a feeling of outward expansion. There is, however, a subtle geometric organization of the features, but not on the same grid that the Greco-Bactrian and Gandharan heads were built. The eyes of Mathuran heads are large and slight protruding. In fact, it has been suggested that the area around Mathura suffered an iodine deficiency and the figures display symptoms of incipient goiters. That theory, however, is often summarily dismissed by Indian art historians. The arch of the eyebrows has been described as reflecting a bird’s wings. The full protruding lower lip is referred toas a “bee-stung” lip. In later Hindu works it will reflect adoring concentration. The extended ear lobes are both a Jain and a Buddhist attribute. They reflect that the figure was once of princely status, but, by removing the earplugs, has renounced the world. The tight, abstract, spirals of the hair are also typical of this style. Mathuran art is noted for itsfull-bodied abstractions of the human form as seen in this head.Slide 4Gallery 0842 - IMG0078Title: Colossal head of Bodhisattva, Indian Museum, CalcuttaThis head, discovered in the Yamuna River, is characteristic of the early Mathura Buddhist images. It is an excellent example of the Mathuran canon and is stylistically closely connected with the Tirtankhara head of the previous slide. The curious diadem on the Bodhisattva’s head alludes to Sakyamunni’s decision to seek Enlightenment. Upon leaving the palace, he removed his jeweled turban, cut his long hair, and hurled them into the sky proclaiming: “If I am to be Buddha, let them stay there. If I am not, let them fall.”Two arms fork up from the bottom of the diadem, and the hands hold the hair tuft and the turban. The hair lock and turban are common aniconic symbols of the Renunciation. Here, they are combined with the iconic image.Slide 50842Gallery - IMG0085Title: Railing from stupa from Kankali, Indian Museum, CalcuttaThe architecture of Mathura was so thoroughly demolished by Islamic invaders that it is impossible to select any one building as typical. Characteristic types like the stupa were presumably only an elaboration of earlier forms surrounded with railing, the uprights of which were carved in high relief. Hercules and the Nemean Lion, the first slide in this show, is an upright to a stupa railing. However, most subjects were chthonic deities traditionally worshipped in the villages. Yakshis were very common. They were felt to aid women in fertility, childbearing, lactation, and many other gender related areas. Until these works were placed in museums, they continued to provide these services and were actively sought out by the local population. The figures of the fertility spirits were usuallyrepresented in positions similar to those seen on the Stupa One brackets at Sanchi. This sinuous and moving type of pose, as well as the eloquent gestures of the hands, suggest very strongly the active imitation by the carvers of the poses and gestures of the Indian dance. The composition of the stupa railing Kankali Tila is standard for this area. The uprights are divided into three zones capped with the continuous foral frieze. At the top ofthe post are couples looking down from balconies. The yakshi is underneath the couples and is shown standing on the lower zone composed of a dwarf or animal. Slide 60842Gallery - IMG0084Title: Yakshi Carrying Wine and Mangoes, Bhutesar, Archaeological Museum, MathuraThis yakshi from a stupa at Bhutesar is typical of the Kushan Mathura style. The top of the upright is not shown in this slide but it is composed of a couple, the man reaching down with a cup to dip up wine from the jug carried by the yakshi. Before being placed in the museum, women would anoint areas of this statue. It is not known if this was the practice when the


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NAU HUM 362 - Study Notes

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