A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c13.1

c13.1

THE Gupta period, discussed in Chapter VI, may be regarded as one of transition between ancient and mediaeval art, as it was between the polities of ancient and mediaeval India. From the seventh century we find in sculpture few traces of the kindly, human spirit and naturalistic treatment which distinguished the ancient schools, mainly devoted to the service of Buddhism; and we pass into a world of art which scorns to represent the daily life of men and women, concerning itself almost exclusively with either asceticism of the self-contained *yogī* type or the weird imaginings of the later Hindu mythology, including that of the Mahāyānist Buddhists, almost indistinguishable from that of the Brahmans. The beautiful story-telling reliefs of Boro-Būdūr in Java form a delightful exception to this generalization, and carry on the spirit of the old Bharhut and Sānchī artists with a delicacy and refinement of style peculiar to themselves. The Jain sculpture is so strictly conventional that it may be almost left out of consideration. The spirit of mediaeval sculpture is chiefly expressed in Brahmanical and Buddhist works, which alike exalt the ascetic ideal and reflect the teachings of Puranic and Tantric literature.