The
Ahin Posh
stupa was decorated with Indo-Corinthian capitals. 2nd century CE.
[1]
Left image
: Classical Greek
Corinthian
anta
capital.
Right image
: An Indo-Corinthian capital with a palmette and the Buddha at its centre, 3-4th century,
Gandhara
.
Indo-Corinthian capitals
are
capitals
crowning
columns
or
pilasters
, which can be found in the northwestern
Indian subcontinent
, and usually combine
Hellenistic
and
Indian
elements. These capitals are typically dated to the first centuries of the
Common Era
, and constitute an important aspect of
Greco-Buddhist art
.
Corinthian design
[
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]
Indo-Corinthian capitals display a design and foliage structure which is derived from the academic
Corinthian capital
developed in Greece. Its importation to India followed the road of Hellenistic expansion in the East in the centuries after the conquests of
Alexander the Great
. In particular the
Greco-Bactrian kingdom
, centered on
Bactria
(today's northern
Afghanistan
), upheld the type at the doorstep of India, in such places as
Ai-Khanoum
until the end of the 2nd century BCE. In India, the design was often adapted, usually taking a more elongated form and sometimes being combined with scrolls, generally within the context of Buddhist
stupas
and temples.
Figurines
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]
Indo-Corinthian capitals also incorporated figures of the
Buddha
or
Bodhisattvas
, usually as central figures surrounded by, and often under the shade of, the luxurious foliage of Corinthian designs. This practice was not limited to India, and also found favor in various areas of
Central Asia
. The depiction of figurines within the foliage of Corinthian capitals is not in itself an eastern development. In the ancient Greek world in the
Mediterranean
, figurines were often represented this way:
Figural additions are very common in the classical world, and from an early period, usually take the form of heads or busts, but the Gandhara treatment is original in that the
acanthus
leaves form a canopy over it.
[2]
Combinations with Buddhist architecture
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Indo-Corinthian capital were also used in combination with architectural elements, such as Buddhist stupas. One of the best example was excavated and reconstituted at
Sirkap
.
Perhaps the most notable divergence from the western concept of function occurs at Kalawan,
Taxila
, where a large acanthus capital set on a lotus base was inserted between the conventional square basement and cylindrical dome of a votive stupa.
[2]
Further, in the art of
Gandhara
, Indo-Corinthian capitals on top of separating pilasters are used extensively in narrative
friezes
of the life of the Buddha. This usage continued as late as the 5th century.
Gallery
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-
Base of pillar, Indo-Corinthian capitals and elephants from base of stupa,
Jamal Garhi
-
An Indo-Corinthian capital from the
Butkara Stupa
under which a coin of
Azes II
was found. Dated to 20 BCE or earlier (
Turin City Museum of Ancient Art
).
-
Indo-Corinthian capital representing a Buddhist devotee wearing a Graeco-Roman coat with
fibula
.
Butkara Stupa
,
National Museum of Oriental Art
,
Rome
.
-
A pilaster decorated by a Corinthian capital and a female figurine, Athens, 2nd-1st century BCE.
-
The Buddha, within the foliage of a Corinthian capital.
-
Series of Indo-Corinthian capitals from Jamal-Garhi.
-
A Buddhist triad flanked by two pilasters with Indo-Corinthian capitals, Gandhara, 3rd century CE.
-
Indo-Corinthian canopy at the
Chakhil-i-Ghoundi stupa
,
Hadda
.
-
Small Gandhara architectural pillar
-
Capital with central
quadriga
.
Butkara Stupa
.
-
Indo-Corinthian capital featuring the charriot-driving sun god
Surya
. Gandhara, 2nd century CE.
See also
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References
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