Stair-riser

Unknown (Kushan)

Item type:

sculpture

Date of creation:

2nd-3rd century

Height:

17.8 cm  (7 in.)

Width:

99.0 cm  (39 in.)

Diameter:

4.5 cm  (1 3/4 in.)

Technique / Medium:

carved schist

Place of creation:

Gandhara (former nation/state/empire)

School:

Gandhara

Description

Stair-riser length showing nāgas and nāgīs making music and dancing. From right to left two figures holding flowers are turned towards three other indistinct figures with an indeterminate object in between; an almost frontal lutenist, probably female, stands between them and the next group, a damaged male and a female piper flanking a dancer like that in BM 1880.40 but perhaps with both arms flung out; a female drummer on the right, and a lutenist and a musician holding a simple string instrument also seen in BM 1880.34 on the left, flank another similar dancer. Where they are distinct, they all appear to have serpents rising above them and to wear a paridhāna probably round a tunic, a wreath headdress, a scarf, necklace and anklets

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Drum [2585]
Lute [3394]
Wind instruments [3730]
Stringed instruments [3101]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 2

RIdIM record id

5361