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Not currently on display at the V&A

Relief

150-199 AD (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This badly weathered fragment of a relief is divided into two halves with a half column of Indo-Iranian style between two caitya arches. There is a figure beneath each one, standing in front of the architraves of doorways with decoration of a now unclear design.The arches are pointed and bear an inner fillet from which depend pairs of rounded motifs. The arches terminate in scrolled volutes from which hang cone-shaped fruits. The figure in the left hand arch is possibly a female wearing a knee-length tunic over an antariya with an uttariya flung over her left shoulder which she holds in her left hand, while holding up a bunch of flowers in her right hand. She is looking across to the male figure in the adjacent arch, who also turns his head towards her. He is standing with his left arm resting on his hip with the other one holding an object which may be another bunch of flowers. He is dressed in an antariya with an uttariya looped across his body and draped over his left shoulder.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved grey schist
Brief description
Relief of two figures under caitya arches, grey schist, 1st Century AD, Swat Valley.
Physical description
This badly weathered fragment of a relief is divided into two halves with a half column of Indo-Iranian style between two caitya arches. There is a figure beneath each one, standing in front of the architraves of doorways with decoration of a now unclear design.The arches are pointed and bear an inner fillet from which depend pairs of rounded motifs. The arches terminate in scrolled volutes from which hang cone-shaped fruits. The figure in the left hand arch is possibly a female wearing a knee-length tunic over an antariya with an uttariya flung over her left shoulder which she holds in her left hand, while holding up a bunch of flowers in her right hand. She is looking across to the male figure in the adjacent arch, who also turns his head towards her. He is standing with his left arm resting on his hip with the other one holding an object which may be another bunch of flowers. He is dressed in an antariya with an uttariya looped across his body and draped over his left shoulder.
Dimensions
  • Height: 0.135m
  • Length: 0.245m
Style
Credit line
Given by Barger and Wright
Object history
Acquired from Evert Barger, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Bristol and Philip Wright, V&A Museum, as part of the collection of finds excavated during their expedition to the Swat valley in 1938. This is no. 111 in Barger's lists.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic references
  • Barger, E. and Wright, P., ‘Excavations in Swat and Explorations in the Oxus Territories of Afghanistan, a detailed report of the 1938 expedition’, Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India, vol. 64, Calcutta, 1941
  • Ackermann, Hans Christoph. Narrative Stone Reliefs from Gandhara in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Catalogue and Attempt at a Stylistic History. Reports and Memoirs. Director of the Series Giuseppe Tucci. Volume XVII. IsMEO, Rome, 1975. p. 51 pl. III b
Collection
Accession number
IM.100-1939

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Record createdMarch 4, 2004
Record URL
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