Indian Sculpture and Painting, Illustrated by Typical Masterpieces, with an Explanation of their Motives and Ideals c10.133

c10.133

The period covered by the religious paintings of Ajanta extends from about the second or first centuries before Christ to about the seventh century of our era, or over most of the great epoch of Indian art which has been reviewed in the previous chapters. Unfortunately, owing in a great measure to neglect and ill-treatment these beautiful paintings have lost all of their original charm of colour, and are so damaged otherwise as to be at present only pitiable wrecks of what they have been. A singular chapter of accidents, combined with the usual economical reasons, prevented Mr. John Griffiths from doing full justice to them in his work on Ajanta, and it is to be feared that interest in Indian art, apart from archæology, is not sufficiently strong to encourage any one to undertake the task of filling up the gaps before these almost unique records of early Indian art have entirely disappeared.