Featured Indian carving

Discussion in 'Tribal Art' started by Jeff Drum, Jul 26, 2020.

  1. Jeff Drum

    Jeff Drum Well-Known Member

    Why waste time; I'll start right off by calling for help from @Any Jewelry !
    Fairly large at about 2 feet high not including stand; looks like it may have had another purpose before being attached to the stand? Also not apparent from pics, but looks like there could be remnants of red (and other?) colors on it in the deep recesses?
    IMG_8374.JPG IMG_8375.JPG IMG_8376.JPG IMG_8377.JPG IMG_8378.JPG IMG_8379.JPG
     
  2. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    It is beautiful, Jeff. The carving style and subject matter is from Tamil Nadu in the southern tip of India. The central figure is of course Ganesha (Ganesh) on a giant mouse, shrew or rat.
    My guess is it was once over a window, maybe as part of a window surround, but that is just a guess.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2020
  3. andy_india

    andy_india Member

    This is an awesome piece of art for sure. Looks more of a Gandhara style of art (an unique style of sculpture called Gandhara art developed in ancient times in the Gandhara region of the Indian subcontinent,) and This is probably from South India (not necessarily from Tamil Nadu but may be from Karnataka as well.) as its evident from the style of the temple top. In the middle we see Ganesha and other idols around. Purpose of the stand is nothing but a display as this might have been displayed in a museum or a private collection.

    The astonishing temples that glorify south India are from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. These states were ruled by various dynasties of Pallavas, Chalukyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Kakatiyas, Cholas, Rashtrakutas and Gangas and all the architecture reflects the culture and tradition of each dynasty in which it was built. The glory of south Indian temple architecture can best be seen at Meenakshi Temple at Madurai. The magnificent temple features a thousand pillared mandapas, huge reliefs and tall gateways. The distinct feature of south Indian sculpture is that they redefined and provided a unique identity to the art of sculpturing in India.

    As far as the colours are concerned, it depends what materials were used for the carving, majority of them being wood stone and rock (even in stone there may be black stone). This particular one looks more look like a fragment from a rock carving and with centuries of exposure to mother nature it took the red colour.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
     
  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Gandhara art is from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a Buddhist art form with a strong Hellenistic (Greek) influence, due to the presence of Alexander the Great in the region. Jeff's carving is Hindu and from south India. The Gandhara influence never stretched to Tamil Nadu. The magnifcent South Indian kingdoms were perfectly able to produce their own art, without Hellenistic influence.

    Gandhara art:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  5. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    (Cross posted with Any.)
    Gandhara was located in the Peshawar valley of modern day Pakistan/NW India/Afghanistan, and is noted for its Hellenistic Greco-Buddhist style. This carved panel is South Indian, as @Any Jewelry has said, in typical S. Indian style.

    This panel is made of wood - the grain is clearly visible on the back view, as well as the characteristic cracks visible in the carving itself.
     
  6. andy_india

    andy_india Member

    You may want to read more with regards to this. Gandhara was one of sixteen mahajanapadas (large parts of urban and rural areas) of ancient India. The primary cities of Gandhara were Puruṣapura (Peshawar), Takṣaśilā (Taxila), and Pushkalavati (Charsadda). The latter remained the capital of Gandhara down to the 2nd century AD, when the capital was moved to Peshawar. (and you probably know the time we are talking about there was no separate India and Pakistan, it was all Indian subcontinent right?). Gandhara was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC. Conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 BC, it subsequently became part of the Maurya Empire. At its greatest extent, the empire stretched along the natural boundary of the Himalayas, to the east into Bengal, to the west into what is present-day Balochistan, Pakistan and the Hindu Kush mountains of what is now eastern Afghanistan. With regards to your comment "The Gandhara influence never stretched to Tamil Nadu" let me tell you, the dynasty expanded into India's southern regions by the reign of the emperor Bindusara.

    Anyway I already mentioned its a south Indian sculpture but all I was talking about the link between gandhara and south Indian sculptures.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2020
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  7. Jeff Drum

    Jeff Drum Well-Known Member

    Whoops, my description was lacking the information that this is made of wood and not stone. It was clear to me holding it in hand, but I can see that it wasn't clear in the pics. I hate putting in a bad description, so I'm sorry if I misled you.
     
  8. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    Thank you for giving me an excuse to do some reading on early Indian empires.
    According to the Wikipedia article that you also cite, "the cultural influence of "Greater Gandhara" extended across the Indus river to the Taxila region and westwards into the Kabul and Bamiyan valleys in Afghanistan, and northwards up to the Karakoram range", not into southern India.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhara

    It seems a bit of a stretch to suggest the Maurya Empire spread Gandharan art styles to southern India. The Maurya originated in northeastern India, and at their greatest extent did not reach to the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, (modern Tamilnadu and Kerala), although the southern states were apparently friendly.
    [​IMG]"Maximum extent of the Maurya Empire, as shown by the location of Ashoka's inscriptions, and visualized by historians: Vincent Arthur Smith;[1]R. C. Majumdar;[2] and historical geographer Joseph E.
    Schwartzbert.[3]"
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurya_Empire
     
  9. blooey

    blooey Well-Known Member

    Fun to see a bunch of googlers having a spat
     
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  10. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    I assume you are being snide.
    There is nothing wrong with learning from online resources, as long as you apply the same standards of cross checking and verification as you would with sources in print. It is just a lot faster and easier to cite for others.

    I imagine you learned all about world history from direct experience.
     
  11. blooey

    blooey Well-Known Member

    No, just amused to see you trying to one-up each other by quoting internet references.
     
  12. c.free

    c.free Active Member

    I could tell it was wood. The last pic was obviously wood.
     
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  13. Jeff Drum

    Jeff Drum Well-Known Member

    Well, I think it is fair to say that we are all a bunch of googlers these days. Hopefully seasoned with as much real world experience as possible :)
     
  14. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    It looks like wood, with all the characteristics of wood, so I didn't question it and regarded it as such. But I realise not everyone's perception is the same. We all get things wrong at times.
    Agree. Always double (or quintuple :playful:) check.
    And while enthusiasm for a subject is admirable, I have found that listening, reading (actual books! :jawdrop:), hands-on experience and a deep connection with the subject have meant more to me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2020
  15. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Just as an illustration of the points they were making.:) I don't really know Andy, but I know 2manybooks is a thorough researcher with a respectable knowledge.
     
  16. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

  17. Darkwing Manor

    Darkwing Manor Well-Known Member

    mind own business.jpg
     
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  18. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    :hilarious:
    (I remember the other thread ;))
     
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  19. blooey

    blooey Well-Known Member

    So dementia hasn't set in just yet then? ...Good to hear.
     
  20. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    I can't remember if it has or not.:confused:
     
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