The Buddhist Art of Gandhara: The Story of the Early School, its Birth, Growth and Decline c10.7

c10.7

For the decoration of the stūpas the architects made use of small figural reliefs in stucco, numerous heads of which were found lying in the debris. Of the structures themselves from which they had fallen nothing unfortunately has survived, and we are left, therefore, to guess at the disposition and design of the decoration. One thing, however, is clear, namely, that the Buddhists of Taxila were as quick to make use of the newly revived Hellenistic art as the Buddhists of Gandhāra were. Some typical examples of these heads are illustrated in figs. 32-7. A few of them, like figs. 32 and 33, are plainly Hellenistic types, and modelled, moreover, by a sculptor of considerable ability and feeling for form. Others are inferior in style and execution and may be presumed to be the work of local craftsmen working under his supervision. At one time I took the view that figs. 32 and 33 might have been fashioned with the help of moulds imported from Western Asia. But closer study has shown me that this view is not really tenable. If the reader will look at the examples illustrated he will see that, while some of them, like figs. 33 and 37, were evidently intended to be seen full-face, others, like figs. 32, 35 and 36, were intended to be seen three-quarter face with one or the other cheek turned towards the wall to which the head was affixed. In the case of such three-quarter reliefs the sculptor was naturally prone to carelessness when fashioning the side of the face hidden from the spectator. Countless examples of this defect can be seen among the stucco reliefs at Jauliāñ and other fourth-fifth century sites, the carelessness being most marked in those of poorest quality. The same is true of the reliefs from the Apsidal Temple. Thus in figs. 35 and 36, which are inferior pieces of work, the distortions of the features on the unseen side of the face are very pronounced. On the other hand, in the Satyr's head, fig. 32, which is the work of a competent artist, the difference between the two sides is not so marked, but it is quite marked enough to leave us in no doubt that the sculptor must have done his modelling of this head in the position in which it was to remain against the face of the stūpa wall, and that he must have done it without the help of a mould; for had a mould been employed, we may be sure that both sides of the head would have shown the same amount of care and precision. For a highly elaborate and deeply undercut head of this kind, a piece-mould would, of course, have been needed, and there is no evidence that piece-moulds were used at Taxila for stucco reliefs of this kind, though they must have been used for the solid casting of objects in the round.