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Female figurine

3rd–2nd 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.
These clay figures emerge during a moment when northern India was reveling in its cosmopolitanism, built on trade, diplomacy, and marriage alliances under Mauryan rule. The refined and unparalleled style of these figurines and their localized discovery point to them as objects of beauty for the enjoyment of an urban elite centered at the Mauryan capital of Pataliputra.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Female figurine
  • Period: Maurya
  • Date: 3rd–2nd century BCE
  • Culture: India, Patna, Bihar
  • Medium: Clay
  • Dimensions: Overall (with mount): H. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Bihar Museum, Patna
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art