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Introduction
Introduction
The period that it takes place is in the 4-5th century in Ancient Gandhara (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan), which may relate to the subject matter of how ancient women are depicted - as it could be just the head, abstract body features, or clothing/none/minimal. Stucco was used to sculpt this figure, which makes it easier to capture realistic modeling and delicately rendered facial features. The size: This sculpture seems to suggest that it could have been used for memorialization, where you could put it in a public space like a temple or your house - as it is about the standard size of a laptop (propotable, meaning could be carried around?) The baby elephant symbolizes virtues attributed to men (strength and virility) and her son (the Buddha) being seen through his mother (Maya) as a baby elephant. An unknown part is the greater symbolic meaning of the white elephant, in Ancient Gandhara and Gandharan Buddhism - which would I need to research. Another unknown part can be the significance of the Buddha’s mother and sculptures made of her in Gandhara.
Queen Maya giving birth to Prince Siddharta
The Buddha's mother
The Buddha's mother
The social and religious role of women is characterized (in Gandharan sculptures) by the secular role & seductive position, in society. Women's physical features and their illustration with ornaments symbolized their sophisticated position. The depiction of nudity is not new within the practiced art. For example, it is common for Indian artists to show the woman completely or partially nude & the same for ancient Romans and Greece. The depiction of nudity, in the Indian arts, started as early as the Indian medieval times and in the early BCE ages of Bhārhut (in Sāñcī).
2nd-4th century, Gandhara, an elephant with mahout and lotus in the trunk, grey schist, found at Sahri Bahlol
White elephants
White elephants
The White Elephants symbolize royalty and religion (Buddism), and a major depiction of them is as the "Elephant and Rider Type”. Royalty is shown through using a large piece of decorative garment and riches/decorative outfits. If a royal figure is included it will sit on a seat (on the back of the elephant) holding a stūpa-shaped shrine, and the other figure will sit in the front controlling the elephant. In Buddism, the elephant will show its deep connection with the religion through its interior design that shows important events from the Buddha's life. In the white elephant's exterior it will be made to show a common theme and (what's been termed) "transportation fo reliquaries.
Bodhisattva Maitreya, schist sculpture from Gandhara, Pakistan, Kushan dynasty, 2nd–3rd
Gandaran Buddhist art
Gandaran Buddhist art
The Gandharan artistic styles (motifs and techniques) have been inspired, by classical Roman art - vine scrolls, cherubs bearing garlands, tritons, and centaurs. These sculpture materials used were green phyllit, gray-blue mica schist, and stucco & which were painted and gilded.
Fig. 5 Tutelary couple, possibly Panchika and Hariti. Gandhara, Kushan period, 2nd–3rd century
connection to the modern times
connection to the modern times
There is a deep history of inclusion of women in the Buddhist religious order, as told in the Gathas of Ambaplai. The Buddha is in support of women and recognizes them as individuals of great value (beauty, tenderness, complaisance childbearing, and housemaking. Women are shown participating in religious rituals, alongside men, in Gandharan art. Another example of women being shown as high-status individuals is when Maya dreamt of birthing the Buddha -she was surrounded and guarded by females only, no men (even her husband) were there.
Works Cited
Works Cited
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Gandhara art | Greco-Roman, Indian & Buddhist. Britannica. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/art/Gandhara-art
The Bacchanalian Scenes and the Representation of Women in the Buddhist Sculptures of Gandhāra Art. (2023). Journal of Asian Development Studies, 12(3), 1246-1263.https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2023.12.3.98
Hameed, M. (2017). Elephant and Rider Type Buddhist Diptych Type Portable Shrines from Gandhara. South Asian Studies (Lahore, Pakistan), 32(2), 297–323, from https://www.academia.edu/46938203/Elephant_and_Rider_Type_Buddhist_Diptych_Type_Portable_Shrin es_from_G andhara
Anwar, S. (2022). Chronicles of Social Status of Females in Ancient Society of the Present-day Ancient Pakistan. Academia. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.academia.edu/94076588/Chronicles_of_Social_Status_of_Females_in_Ancient_Society_of_the_Present_day_Ancient_Pakistan?source=swp_share
Craven, R. C. (1976). A Concise History of Indian Art. Praeger Publishers.
Fisher, R. E. (1993). Buddhist Art and Architecture. Thames and Hudson.
La Reine Maya Donnant Naissance au prince siddhârta. Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais -. (n.d.-a). https://www.photo.rmn.fr/archive/04-003913-2C6NU0HDZ902.html
Himalayanbuddhistart. (2022, August 26). Gandhara, Elephants. Himalayan Buddhist Art - Art Bouddhiste de l’Himalaya. https://himalayanbuddhistart.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/gandhara-elephants
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