Stair-riser

Unknown (Gandharan)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

2nd-3rd century

Height:

18.4 cm  (7 1/4 in.)

Width:

63.5 cm  (25 in.)

Depth:

5.1 cm  (2 in.)

Technique / Medium:

carved schist

Place of creation:

Gandhara (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Kushan

Description

Stair-riser length showing dancers and musicians. On the right may be a vestige of a plain framing element, sloping inwards at the side and following the bend of a tree trunk. Of eleven standing figures, (1), (2), (5), (7), (8), (10) and (11) are women in a long tunic and draped overgarment, while figure (6) wears a shorter tunic over the longer one, figure (4), also female, is dancing with cymbals, figure (8) holds what may be a kantharos as may figure (11), although the latter's vessel looks more like a beaker than a cup. Figures (9) and (10) may be an amorous couple, where (9) is touching a breast and the head of (10).

Iconclass

43C9
dancing

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Cymbals [2451]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5331