Tuesday, 10 December 2019

GREEK ART IN PAKISTAN : CAPITAL AND STATUE PEDESTAL FROM PESHAWAR




Photograph taken by Alexander Caddy in 1896.  Indo-Corinthian capital, and the pedestal of a statue depicting two scenes of Buddha with attendants, from Loriyan Tangai in the Peshawar district of Pakistan.This photograph shows the top of a column, known as the capital, and the base of a statue known as a pedestal. Both pieces bear the influence of the Greek tradition, as the classical artistic style is evident. The Corinthian capital derives from Ancient Greek architecture-from the first century CE onwards, this became popular in Peshawar district. The columns found in Peshawar are not, however, identical to their Greek counterparts. They blend Indian and classical features and are therefore termed 'Indo-Greek'. An entire artistic movement was born from the Greek presence in Bactria and India and Sculpture is a notable example of this. Large quantities of statues found in the Peshawar district, were heavily influenced by classical forms. This influence can be observed in the sculpting of the figures on the pedestal, through their draped clothing, curly hair and naturalistically modelled bodies, echoing the Greek artistic style.

Edited from : BRITISH LIBRARY 

1 comment: