The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c3: Preface
The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c3
- Language
- English
Preface
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To the rather limited circle of scholars interested in Indian Art and Archæology the work of M. Foucher requires no introduction. His numerous studies devoted to these subjects, and in particular his comprehensive treatise on the Græco-Buddhist Art of Gandhāra, have fully established his position as a leader in this sphere. A collective edition of his essays and addresses, dispersed in various serial and periodical publications, will therefore be sure of a warm welcome.
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The translators do not disavow a hope that this English version may appeal not only to those readers, chiefly in the East, to whom the author's original presents a difficulty, but also to a rather wider public in England and America. Aware of the interest which in Paris attended the delivery of M. Foucher's lectures, they would regret if the charm had so far evaporated in translation as to forfeit a share in the growing appreciation of Oriental art.
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Buddhism — for it is especially Buddhist monuments that are here surveyed — is, of course, a subject of vast extent. We may add that it is a highly organic subject, and that the study of it is still at a specially interesting stage, the stage of discovery. We cannot touch it in any part without evoking responses from distant and unexpected quarters. We might compare it to a magic carpet; we fix upon some well defined topic, relating, let us say, to the Græco-Buddhist school of Gandhāra, and promptly, even without our volition, some analogy or connection transports us to the Central Asia, China or Japan of many centuries later, even if we have not to continue our flight to Java in the ninth century or Cambodia in the twelfth. The reader will find in these pages abundant examples of such transitions. The first essays reach back by a highly ingenious and probable hypothesis to the very origins of Buddhist art in India itself, and give us the measure of its possibilities by what it has achieved at Sānchi and Barhut. Already we detect some traces of foreign influence, from the Persia of the Achæmenids. Soon an abrupt irruption of Hellenistic art overwhelms the native schools, and creates a repertory of religious compositions, which the Buddhist propaganda carries to Central Asia, the Far East, and the Malay islands. Thus is established a genetic connection between the religious art of Europe and Asia, a double efflorescence from one root, most strikingly exemplified in the case of the Buddha type, which closely resembles the earliest sculptural type of Christ, and most curiously in that of the ‘Tutelary Pair’, found throughout the whole Buddhist sphere and at the same time in ancient Gaul : or shall we claim the highest degree of interest for the case of the ‘Madonna’ group (Essay IX), which — ultimately derived, in all probability, from ancient Egypt — has ended by conquering the whole world? This splendid generalization cannot fail to be fruitful, both on the European and on the Asiatic side, in inspiration for future researches : in the meanwhile it may be welcomed as reëstablishing by the aid of art that feeling of solidarity and sympathy between India and Europe, which flourished during the palmy days of Vedic studies, but latterly has been somewhat discouraged by specialism.
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Need we remark that, where religious art and archæology are the theme, literature and literary history cannot be far away? M. Foucher has commented upon the predominantly narrative character of the bas-reliefs with which he is dealing : it may indeed be said that, apart from purely decorative figures and symbols, the great bulk of them are illustrations of scenes from the life of the Buddha. The life must, indeed, be conceived in an ample sense, according to that grandiose Indian conception whereby, as M. Foucher opportunely reminds us, the biography is not confined to a single span, but covers the whole series of countless births, under all forms of existence, which were necessary for the accumulation of the positive and negative characteristics manifested finally in the Great Being, the Perfectly Illuminated. The scenes therefore need to be read, and at first the very alphabet was wanting. The problem was of far greater obscurity than in the case of what M. Foucher terms the magnificent illustrated bible constituted by the sculptors of the cathedral of Chartres. The texts of the Buddhist religion have only gradually been made known : those events in the life which were specially marked out for illustration — the twelve acts of Buddha and so forth — had not been separated out; the Jātaka book, recording the tales of previous births, was not at first available. The names of those scholars to whom we are indebted for the first tentatives at decipherment, such as the inspired, if not impeccable, archæologist, General Sir Alexander Cunningham, Prof. Grünwedel of the Berlin Ethnographical Museum, Dr. Serge d’Oldenburg, Perpetual Secretary of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg, and others will be found recurring in M. Foucher's pages. But undoubtedly the matter has in M. Foucher's own work made a long step forward : the reader will remark not only the artistic insight which gives so much ease and certainty to the identifications in this volume, but also the emergence of principles fitted to serve as a guide for future discovery and criticism in this field of study. In a word, we see taking shape, not only an art, but also a science of discovery and interpretation in regard to Buddhist, and by consequence to Indian, illustration.
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A history of Buddhist Art is a task for the future ; may we some day have the pleasure of welcoming a systematic treatise upon the subject from M. Foucher's own pen. For the present we are only at the commencement. Nothing guarantees us that in its beginnings the Art shall be found on a level with the doctrine, or that it shall follow a parallel course, or again that it shall develope with a proportional rapidity. On the contrary, we see already that at Sânchî and Barhut, after centuries of active speculation, it makes its appeal primarily to a community characterized by naive and simple piety. In the case of Christianity how many centuries of dogmatic strife precede the age of the primitives! Nevertheless the reader who turns from the essays on Barhut and Sânchî to those dealing with the Great Miracle and with Boro-Budur — much clearer would be his impression, if he embraced in his view the mediæval and modern art of China, Japan, and Tibet — cannot fail to note the metaphysical contemplation which has grown upon the decay of the older popular piety. Yet even here we have a warning as to the partial reversions which may result from the transplanting of religion to a less sophisticated society : since in the sculptures of Boro-Budur we find again — in an atmosphere, it is true, of hypertropical softness — no small admixture of that frank pleasure in mere story-telling which is the special charm of Sânchî and Barhut.
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London. June, 1914.
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F. W. THOMAS.
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We are indebted for the use of photographs to the Secretary of State for India. Dr. J. BURGESS, and Prof. A. A. MACDONELL (England); to Prof. Éd. CHAVANNES, Mr. Henry H. GETTY and M. V. GOLOUBEW (France); to Prof. A. GRÜNWEDEL and Dr. A. von LE COQ (Germany); to Mr. J H. (now Sir John) MARSHALL, Sir Aurel STEIN and Mr. (now Prof.) J. Ph. VOGEL (India); to Major Van ERP (Java) : — and for the loan of blocks to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, the Société Asiatique and MM. ESPÉRANDIEU, GUIMET, HACHETTE et Cie, E. LEROUX (Paris), and to the École française d'Extrême-Orient (Hanoi).
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In the body of the work and in the descriptions attached to the plates will be found indications in detail of what we owe to this kind coöperation. We tender here our grateful thanks for help in the absence of which the majority of these essays either would never have come into being or could not have been combined to form of a volume.
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Some faults of impression and minor errata will perhaps be judged excusable in an English book printed in France.
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P. S. — It should moreover be stated — in view of some few details which the reader himself may notice — that this volume, with exception of the index and tables, has been in print since June 1914. Through the enforced postponement of its appearance, the dedication to M. A. BARTH has become (since April 15, 1916) unfortunately only a tribute to his memory.