Stair-riser

Unknown (Kushan)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

2nd-3rd century

Height:

17.4 cm  (6 7/8 in.)

Width:

43.2 cm  (17 in.)

Diameter:

5.2 cm  (2 1/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

carved schist

Place of creation:

Gandhara (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Gandhara

Description

Stair-riser length showing nāgīs playing music and dancing. From right to left a damaged female figure is turned towards a dancer who, with her right leg raised and right arm flung out, turns towards a figure playing, with finger or plectrum, what seems a similar string instrument to that noticed in the preceding piece, its neck or rod too held in the left hand. Beyond her a drummer and cymbalist look to their right, the former striking her cross-hatched drum with her right hand, and the last figures, both very damaged, are a dancer and a flautist. All seem to wear anklets, scarf, tunic and paridhāna round it with a fall of gathered drapery at the front, wreath headdresses, and have curving serpents rising from their backs

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Drum [2585]
Cymbals [2451]
Flute [3955]
Stringed instruments [3101]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 2

RIdIM record id

5359