Architectural Sculpture
2nd-4th century AD (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A fragment of an architectural corner piece consisting of a lower frieze depicting a pseudo-harmika, or stupa railing, with nine short faceted shafts, somewhat degraded, with shield-shaped stops on each end standing proud of two plain horizontal railings. The railings butt against a corner panel with degraded decoration of a probable foliate nature. Above this band runs a plain fillet with a dart and leaf motif moulding above. On top of this there is a cresting of two chevrons with stepped sides decorated with flame motifs in the right hand one, and a motif of three lobed leaves in the left, next to a half chevron corner cresting ornamented with the top half of a floral quatrefoil.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved schist |
| Brief description | Architectural relief from a harmika |
| Physical description | A fragment of an architectural corner piece consisting of a lower frieze depicting a pseudo-harmika, or stupa railing, with nine short faceted shafts, somewhat degraded, with shield-shaped stops on each end standing proud of two plain horizontal railings. The railings butt against a corner panel with degraded decoration of a probable foliate nature. Above this band runs a plain fillet with a dart and leaf motif moulding above. On top of this there is a cresting of two chevrons with stepped sides decorated with flame motifs in the right hand one, and a motif of three lobed leaves in the left, next to a half chevron corner cresting ornamented with the top half of a floral quatrefoil. |
| Style | |
| 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. 320 in Barger's lists. The carving may have come from top tier of an inverted pyramid which supported the shaft that carried the crowning series of parasols or chattravali on a stupa. A small stone stupa in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, has a superstructure of this type. ( See W. Zwalf, 1996, fig. 1) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, British Museum Press, London, 1996.
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 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.95-1939 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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