Capital
late 1st century-early 2nd century AD (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Pillar capital in the form of a winged lion, made of carved sandstone from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh dating from the late 1st or early 2nd centuries AD during the Kushan period. The sculpture would have formed the capital of a pillar (stambha) framing the entrance to a sacred enclosure. The curious form of the tail, usually given the form of an aquatic creature, here may be associated with a plough share, the attribute of the Hindu deity Balarama, whose origins appear to be as an agricultural deity.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved sandstone |
| Brief description | Pillar Capital in the form of a Winged Lion, Kushan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India, late 1st and early 2nd Century AD |
| Physical description | Pillar capital in the form of a winged lion, made of carved sandstone. The lion with a curling mane has raised front paws and a double row of heavy twisted necklaces looped over the back of his mane and down over his chest. Behind the wings the body is carved in a broad, facetted loop sweeping up and forming a tail with a decorative band and ending in a point. In the dip of his back there is a shield-like shape decorated on one side with a chain motif border. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label | Capital in the Shape of a Winged Lion
100–200
Kushan period
This was the capital of a pillar framing the entrance to
a sacred enclosure, perhaps a shrine to the Hindu deity
Balarama.The tail seems to be shaped like a ploughshare,
the attribute of Balarama, who may originally have been
an agricultural deity.
Sandstone
Northern India (Mathura, Uttar Pradesh)
Museum no. IS.712-1883
(06/06/2011) |
| Credit line | Presented by Dr Turton. |
| Historical context | The sculpture would have formed the capital of a pillar (stambha) framing the entrance to a sacred enclosure. The winged griffin-type mythical creature is of west Asian inspiration. Its distinctive tapering tail resembling a plough may be linked to Balarama, an early Hindu warrior deity closely linked to Vasudeva-Vishnu whose origins appear to be that of an agricultural deity. If so, this pillar capital was presumably installed at the entrance to a Balarama shrine. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Pillar capital in the form of a winged lion, made of carved sandstone from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh dating from the late 1st or early 2nd centuries AD during the Kushan period. The sculpture would have formed the capital of a pillar (stambha) framing the entrance to a sacred enclosure. The curious form of the tail, usually given the form of an aquatic creature, here may be associated with a plough share, the attribute of the Hindu deity Balarama, whose origins appear to be as an agricultural deity. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.712-1883 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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