Maurya and Shunga Art c13.5.6

c13.5.6

But since the Buddhist Samgha was very largely patronised by the commercial and to an extent by the landed middle classes, the social content of Śuṅga art, particularly of the terracottas and the larger figures, reflect more of their tastes and preferences, while in the general subject-matter of the reliefs and in their formal qualities of treatment, composition and manner of presentation it invariably reflects the current popular tastes, ideas, preferences and traditions of the various grades of the ordinary folk.