The Buddhist Art of Gandhara: The Story of the Early School, its Birth, Growth and Decline c12.14

c12.14

Before taking leave of these reliefs there are two more features that we ought to notice. One is that the Corinthian pilasters are no longer such an integral part of the architectural design as they were in the preceding group (figs. 43-47). In that group the pilasters were supported on a continuous moulded plinth, which had the effect of linking them and the carved panels between them in a common scheme of decoration. In the later panels the continuous moulded plinth is lacking, the pilaster bases being carried to the bottom of the panel, with a plain flat band to support the reliefs between. It is a small point but it marks a definite change in the architectural integration of the design.