Indian Sculpture c8.40

c8.40

19. Jetavana Jātaka, on railing post, Bodhgayā. First half, first century B.C. No continuous narration; only one phase is represented, i.e. a man brings a basket with golden coins, and the ground is being paved with them. But even this scene is not shown distinctly, the square golden coins (niṣka), clearly marked in Bhārhut (Fig. 16), appear here as irregular paving stones. Neither an inscription (Bhārhut) nor the way the story is shown aim at intelligibility of the subject matter. Its knowledge is taken for granted, and the artistic interest is concentrated on a well-balanced composition, of which the expansive and elegant movements of the figures are part.