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Fragment of a lion capital

4th–3rd century BCE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This fragment of a lion, part of a double-ended capital, was recovered at the ancient Mauryan capital of Masarh, in western Bihar. Its power and ferocity echo heraldic beasts of the earlier Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE; present-day Iran) to the west. That the Mauryan king Chandragupta had a densely pillared audience hall similar to those of the Persians, and that both dynasties favored highly polished and reflective stone finishes, points to their close cultural interaction. The lion had long served as an emblem of royal strength and nobility. In the mid-third century BCE, the roaring lion became a metaphor for the Buddha, the lion of the Shakya clan.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Fragment of a lion capital
  • Period: Maurya
  • Date: 4th–3rd century BCE
  • Culture: India, Masarh, Shahabad district, Bihar
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 23 5/8 in. (60 cm); W. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm); D. 17 11/16 in. (45 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Bihar Museum, Patna
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art