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Studies in Indian Art c8.s1.t4: Sculpture

Studies in Indian Art c8.s1.t4

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Sculpture

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Sculpture, though pieces are limited in number (11 from Mohenjodaro), is enough to show that the plastic medium of stone was handled with adequate skill by the Harappan artists. The steatite head and bust (7" ht.) of a person, with a fillet fastened to the hair, wearing a trefoil patterned shawl and having pruned beard and a shaven upper lip as in Sumer figures and peculiar slanting eyes similar to those of deities at Kish and Ur, points to the probable identification that this was also some divine image (Fig. 21). Scholars have generally taken it as a priest or Yogī, but in the Indian tradition the Yogī type suits very well as the model of a divine figure, and there is much less probability of a human priest being depicted as a god. Taken together the group of stone images from Mohenjodaro has a style of its own as shown by the receding forehead, larger face, narrow eyes, not found in contemporary Mesopotamia or in the historical sculpture of India. On the other hand, the sturdy neck, inlaid eyes and the shaven upper lip have similarity with figures in Mesopotamia.

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In contrast to the formal and stiff style of the above, two pieces from Harappa found in by Vats and Sahni are of such outstanding aesthetic value and anatomical perfection that they have caused as much gladdening of heart amongst true art-lovers as flutter amongst stolid archaeologists, who look upon them with an uneasy eye against all evidence furnished by the find-spot, material, technique and unique style. The one, a male torso (3·75") of red coloured fine lime-stone (Fig. 20), and the other, a female dancer (3·9") of dark lime-stone having soft effiminate charm show a rare sensitiveness and skilful modelling unparallel in the stone art of the ancient world (Figs. 14 a & b). The sealed levels in which they were exposed with other associate finds of protohistoric age cancels all doubt about their being exotic, as confirmed by Vats and Marshall. The particular stone of which they are made was being imported in the Indus Valley from an unknown source and used for many other objects found there, but not a single figurine or object of the same material has been found in historical art. The evidence of technique is even more forceful as being in favour of the two statues being indigenous to the Indus Valley, e.g., the holes in the shoulders and neck for attaching moveable arms and head and the use of a tubular drill to make them, not known elsewhere. Their style also is distinctive and incomparable with any other thing that we know either in the East or in the West. This solid evidence about their origin accords well with the fact that the excellence of carving observed in these two figurines was well within the competence of the master engravers who have created wonderful figures of bulls on the steatite seals.

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Fig. 13. A Seal

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Fig. 14 (a). Torso of a dancer from Harappa

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Fig. 15. A Seal

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Fig. 17. Dancing girl from Mohenjodaro

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Fig. 14 (b) Reconstruction of Fig. (14) a according to Marshall

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Fig. 18. Mother Goddess Mohenjodaro

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The male torso, with its developed muscles and stout limbs depicted in a frontal position is explicit in expression. But the figure of the dancer standing on the right leg with the left one thrown towards the proper right in a delicate pose presents some difficulty of identification as to its sex. It is taken as a male figure. But, as Marshall noticed its ‘soft and effeminate’ built, no one can fail to be impressed with the rythmic animation in the various limbs and pose as peculiar to a female body (*Fig. 14 b*). This is writ large in the broad hips (पृथुश्रोणि), contracted waist (मध्ये संग्राहा) *and* somewhat narrower region between the shoulders (विम्वष्टान्तरंसा; these epithets are applied to the beauty of a woman, *ŚB*.1.2.5.16, 3.5.1.11). The breasts with nipples attached in the holes are certainly not so prominent as in the clay figurines but compare favourably with those of the girl in bronze.

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Copper was the chief metal with the Indus Valley people and by mixing tin they prepared an alloy of bronze for making some important articles. The process of casting bronze by the *cire perdue* process, viz., making a model of wax and using it as the core inside a clay mould and then pouring molten metal for casting the desired figure of solid metal. This technique has been followed throughout the long period of the history of Indian bronzes, and its earliest specimens are works of decided merit not only for a full mastery of the technique but also for their realistic sytle. The bronze dancing girl (ht. 4.5") is a matter of fact example in which the rather longish legs and arms and the slightly tilted head bespeak the rhythm of her movements (*Fig. 17*). The right arm, flexed at the elbow, is placed on the hip (कटि-हस्त) and the left, profusely loaded with bangles (खादयः; RV.I.166.9, VII. 56.13 and खादिहस्त V. 58.2) is suspended and touches the left thigh (लताहस्त). She appears to be the model of *Nṛtū*, a female dancer with whom Uṣā is compared in the Ṛigveda, wearing an embroidered garment and opening her breasts (*Adhi peshāṃsi vapate Nṛtūr-ivā-porṇute vakṣaḥ*, RV. I.92.4; *Nṛtū=Nṛtyantī Yoṣit*, Sāyaṇa). Another similar figure but of poorer quality was also found. Amongst the eleven animal figures in bronze those of a buffalo and a ram are noteworthy, the former with the muscular modelling of the body and massive uplifted head shows the reserve strength of the wild beast and is a study in realism. A toy cart on two solid wheels with a driver gives proof of the use of wheeled conveyances by the Indus Valley people for transport of men and goods as until recent times. The solid wheels resemble those in use in Sind even today.

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The vast number of terracotta figurines from the Indus Valley both human (*Figs. 18, 19*) and animal are of a unique style different from that of the Mesopotamian figures. They are generally made of solid clay and modelled by hand except in the case of human masks and a few hollow animal figurine, for which moulds were used. The figurines were baked to a light red colour and were afterwards painted red. Some of the animal figurine show ventholes for escape of air or ashes of the burnt core.

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Fig. 19. Mother Goddess from Harappa

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Fig. 20. Male torso from Harappa

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Fig. 21. Divine Image-Mohenjodaro

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Fig. 22. A Seal

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Fig. 23. Black painted red vase-Harappa

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Fig. 24. Terracotta Bull Mohenjodaro

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Stylistically the figurines are realistic and in the case of a moulded bull the general effect is very pleasing (*Fig. 24*). The human masks having horns seem to have been used as apropiatic figures. The epithet *Viśāṇin* is found in the Ṛigveda (VII.18.7) as the name of one of the five tribes who massed to battle against the forces of the Aryan king Tṛitsu. The other names of this confederacy, viz., Bhalanas (people of the Bolan), Śivas (same as the Sibis), Pakthas (Pathans) point to the fact that the Viśāṇinas also belonged to the same region. The discovery of over 1000 steatite seals with unicorn motif points to the importance of the horn symbol in the religious belief of the Indus people.

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A large number of animal figurines in clay were found used as toys for children and showing in order of popularity such animals as the short-horned bull, humped or Brāhmaṇi bull, ram or goat, rhinoceros and dog. The wide choice of toy animals, rodents, birds, reptiles etc. also includes monkey, pig, hare, elephant, tiger, buffalo, mongoose, snake, armadillo, turtle, dove, domestic fowl, peacock, squirrel, goose, pigeon, sparrow, parrot, owl, grasshopper etc. This variety is similar to the pottery figurines of animals of the historical period. It was found that a good number of animal figurines were hollow inside being made on a core of some combustible material.

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A remarkable technique was developed in the making of faience paste used for fine moulded objects as toy figurines, ornaments like bracelets, studs, beads, amulets, buttons, finger-rings, and miniature pottery (*Fig. 23*), balls and marbles, gamesmen, inlay pieces, seals (*Figs. 13, 15, 22*), plaques, spindle whorls, weights etc. of extremely fine quality. Faience was prepared from powdered quartz, or sometimes steatite also, with a binding material and after being moulded to the desired form was coated with a glaze. The use of faience was known in Egypt prior to the Indus Valley and possibly the technique was borrowed from there.

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Some of the objects of faience (कांचली मिट्टी) showing a high degree of artistic skill include a knibbling squirrel, a crouching ram and a figurine of coalescing monkeys.

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