Panel

Unknown (Kushan)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

2nd-3rd century

Height:

9.6 cm  (3 3/4 in.)

Width:

26.2 cm  (10 5/16 in.)

Diameter:

5.3 cm  (2 1/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

carved schist

Place of creation:

Gandhara (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Gandhara

Description

Panel, perhaps from a stair-riser, showing various figures including musicians and a dancer. Once perhaps in central position, a haloed figure, probably in uttarīya and paridhāna and perhaps turbaned, sits on a draped chair with drapery in between the turned legs, rests one foot on a low stool while the other is raised and turns his head slightly to his left. A worn surface joining face to chest suggests a beard. To his right are the remains of a standing male and to his left, if the vestige behind the head is a braid, is a woman seen from behind and holding a fly-whisk. At least one indistinct figure flanks the deity at the back. To the right a dancing woman, seen from the back, raises one leg and beside her are two others, one standing, the other seated and beating two vertical and banded barrel drums; at the back a face in low relief looks out frontally. The remaining figures seem to turn away; behind them is another face in low relief. Two unexplained open flowers in low relief flank the dancer at the top and another is below her raised foot; at the extreme right may be another flower. Where undamaged, the panel shows a number of arms and lower legs undercut. The prominent base mouldings are a torus and cavetto.

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Barrel drum [2504]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 2

RIdIM record id

5355