A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c10.s3.10

c10.s3.10

The appearance in sculpture of that specially Graeco-Roman form coincides with the introduction of the Kushān gold coinage, agreeing in weight with the Roman *aureus*, though somewhat debased in standard.³ All the evidence, in my judgement, leads to the inference that the rapid development and extension of the distinct Gandhāra school, with its characteristic Indo-Corinthian capitals, were effected under the patronage of the great Kushān kings, who must have imported foreign artists, and through their agency have carried the application of Hellenistic technique to Indian subjects much farther than had ever been done before. Such foreign artists, accredited by royal authority and the fashion of the court, would have been readily accepted as teachers by the local Indian sculptors, who, after their accustomed manner, would have proceeded to adapt the new methods to their own purposes, sometimes, perhaps, bettering the instructions of their masters.