Railing coping with forest dwellers scaling or quarrying a rock face
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.A wish-fulfilling lotus vine (kalpalata)—a miraculous plant that rewards devotees with material riches—decorates this railing coping, with jewels emerging from its flowers. The adjacent scene shows a mountain landscape, indicated by the cubic patterns of rock formations. Two men, dressed in leaf skirts, scale the mountain by driving pegs into the rock face. Whether the pair are quarrying or climbing in search of forest products is unclear. This scene, unique in Indian art, undoubtedly illustrates an ancient Buddhist story, a jataka or avadana. While the exact story referenced here remains unidentified, it might be the Chaddanta-jataka (The Six-Tusked Elephant), which describes this technique of rock climbing.
Artwork Details
- Title: Railing coping with forest dwellers scaling or quarrying a rock face
- Period: Shunga
- Date: ca. 150–100 BCE
- Culture: India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Madhya Pradesh
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: Overall: H. 13 3/4 in. (35 cm); W. 61 13/16 in. (157 cm); D. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, New Delhi
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art