Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c17.4

c17.4

More important from every other point of view are the images of Buddha, and of gods and men. Images of Buddha and of gods are made according to certain canons laid down in the work called Sāriputra, which will subsequently be summarised. Images, says the canon, may be made of gold, copper, clay, stone, wood, burnt clay (brick), and lime. Images of silver, bronze, brass, and ivory were also made. Small images were most often made of metal—brass, silver, and even gold. A majority of these belonging to the later times are ill-formed and even grotesque, but earlier examples of a very superior character are sometimes seen.