38

times  even  decorafed  with  precious  sfones.  ln  addition,  bedspreads,
  Wedding  clofhs,  and  so  on,  offen  richly  embroidered
(phulkari,  kasida-work),  woven  and  tuffed  carpefs  (imporfed  by
the  Mohammedans).  Sfifched  clofhing  generally  usual  with  men
of  Ihe  upper  dass  and  all  Mohammedans.
Arfistic  Development
Many  people  regard  Sand,  ofhers  fhe  Gupta  period,  ofhers  the
Hindu  Middle  'Ages,  others  again,  fhe  Mughal  period  as  fhe  classic ­
  age  of  Indian  art.  ln  fad  fhere  was  a  permanent  development, ­
  in  theory  not  infrequently  bound  by  tradition  but  nevertheless
  always  producing  something  new  and  unique.  Even  the
Middle  Ages  are  no  exception;  even  if  its  forms  and  types  were
fixed,  they  were  worked  out  with  increasing  richness  in  ever
newer  combinations  until  finally  this  richness  diverfed  the  character
  of  the  art  along  new  channels.
The  Indus  culture  began  with  the  still  quite  rustic  style  of  living,
the  "Amri  culture”,  developed  to  cities  of  worid  imporfance,  and
then  languished,  forced  onto  the  defensive  against  the  betferarmed
  Aryan  conquerors.  Its  pictorial  art  (Cat.  1—12;  42—53),
only  known  from  small  works,  reveals  a  vivid  feeling  much  more
highly  developed  than  in  Ihe  Contemporary  ancient  East.  We
still  know  very  little  of  the  history  of  its  style.
The  early  Aryan  period,  known  to  us  only  from  literary  sources,
was  a  culture  in  ancient  style,  steeped  in  magic,  belonging  fo
the  peasants  and  later  to  the  nobilily.  The  earliest  sfone  monuments
  from  the  time  of  the  Maurya  Emperors  (fourfh  fo  second
Century  B.  C.)  were  evidently  under  the  influence  of  late  Achaemenid
  Persian  and  to  a  certain  extent  of  early  Hellenistic  art
(lion  Capital  at  Sarnath,  Greek  palm-leaves,  examples  of  terracotta);
  but  the  Processing  of  these  foreign  influences  was  highly
independent  and  conformed  to  fhe  native  tradition  which,  especially
  in  the  Yaksha  sfatues,  soon  gained  the  upper  hand.  Except
  the  lion  figures,  all  pictorial  represenfations  from  Ashokas'
period  were  thoroughly  Indian  in  spirit.  The  most  lively  terracoltas
  (Cat.  54—63)  show  an  offen  still  highly  barbarous  culture,
with  fanfastic  headdresses.  This  populär  art  was  Ihe  only  defermining
  factor  under  the  Sunga,  Kanva  and  Satavahana  Emperors. ­
  The  timber  buildings  have  complicated  if  obvious  shapes,
sculpture  at  Bharhut  (Cat.  64—73)  has  not  yet  escaped  from  the
block;  it  has  neifher  rounded  surfaces  nor  free  heads,  arms  or
legs,  and  its  expression  is  dull,  magic  for  the  peasant.  Freedom

is  achieved  in  fhe  Sanci  (Cat.  75—81)  reliefs.  Although  the  timber
style  is  still  imitafed  Ihe  result  is  light  and  elegant,  even  in
stone,  the  figures  move  easily,  the  worid  is  a  miracle  full  of  new
discoveries.  The  numerous  works  in  terracofta  from  this  period
(Cat.  84—101)  are  capfivating  in  the  richness  of  their  subjects,
fheir  loving  observation  of  lile  and  naive  structure.  Further  development ­
  was  completed  in  fhe  Deccan,  profected  from  foreign
conquerors  and  wealthy  through  its  trade  with  Rome.  In  the  beginning
  art  in  the  Deccan  was  merely  a  clumsy  echo  of  the
Sunga  work,  but  by  the  first  Century  A.  D.  its  cave  femples  and
Stupa  reliefs  were  overtaking  the  north.  The  architecture  became
richer  and  richer,  the  fa^ades  more  beautifui,  the  columns  more
refined,  and  balusfrades  and  balconies  were  introduced.  Pictorial
art,  still  dull  and  sfiff  at  Bhaja,  became  free  and  healthy  at
Karle,  Nasik,  Kanheri  and  so  on,  or  in  fhe  earliest  frescoes  of
Ajanta.  The  marble  Stupas  of  Amaravafi  and  Jaggayepefa  (second ­
  to  third  Century  A.  D.)  (Cat.  144)  on  the  east  coast  were
tower-like  buildings  on  high  terraces,  covered  over  and  over
with  reliefs  and  surrounded  by  equally  rieh  sfone  fences.  Their
reliefs,  perspective  scenes  of  substantial  depth,  reveal  an  elegant
fown-dwelling  society,  slender  figures  of  boundless  grace  massed
in  complicated  groups.  The  early  Indian  Buddhist  style  finally
dissolved  into  Ihe  decorative,  highly  erotic  lkshvaku  style  of
Nagarjunikonda.
In  the  north,  however,  contact  with  fhe  Greeks  and  the  Indo-Parthians
  and  Kushanas,  who  were  dependent  on  Graeco-Roman
art,  had  brought  a  new  development.  Even  Ihough  remains  of
Greek  femples  were  found  in  Bactria  (northern  Afghanistan),  all
we  know  of  the  Indo-Greeks  are  coins,  at  first  of  high  quality  but
then  rapidly  degenerating.  Then  the  immigralion  of  Hellenistic
mastercraftsmen  and  the  importation  of  Roman  luxury  goods
brought  a  fresh  flowering,  first  at  Taxila,  then  in  Gandhara  (the
Svat  volley  and  the  Peshawar  plain),  finally  around  and  beyond
Kabul  and  in  eastern  Turkistan.  The  architecture  shows  a  stränge
Penetration  of  Shunga-Indian  and  Hellenistic  forms.  Pictorial  art
(Cat.  130—143)  is  an  adaption  of  Greek  types  for  Indian  gods
and  legends,  sometimes  really  great  masterpieces  but  generally
fhe  worst  type  of  provincial  art.  Here  too  development  follows
fhe  usual  course,  from  simple  buildings  and  shallow,  plain  reliefs
to  baroque  Creations,  laden  with  decoration,  done  in  high  relief
and  sfrongly  shadowed.  The  late  works  of  this  style  in  the  fifth
Century  (particularly  Hadda)  recall  Pergamon  on  the  one  hand
and  Gothic  art  on  the  other  —  separated  from  both  by  five