A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c16.s4.4

c16.s4.4

The first-named casket, found long ago by Masson in the foundation deposit of No. 2 Bīmarān *stūpa* to the north of the road between Kābul and Jalālābād, and now in the British Museum, was associated with freshly minted coins of Azes I, and may, therefore, be dated about the beginning of the Christian era, or rather earlier. It is made of pure gold, about 2¾ inches high, and 2 inches in diameter, studded with rubies, and adorned with repoussé Buddhist figures and decorative designs (Plate LXXIV, Fig. B). Both the upper and lower rims are studded with *balās* rubies, separated by a four-petalled ornament of the kind known as *śrī-vatsa*. The circumference between the jewelled lines is divided into eight niches, which enclose four distinct figures, each repeated. Flat pilasters with sunken panels separate the niches, which are crowned by arches, circular below and pointed above. The interspaces, or spandrils, are filled up by cranes with outstretched wings. All the details are finely executed, and the whole composition takes high rank as a specimen of ancient goldsmith's work. The four distinct figures are (1) Buddha in the attitude of benediction; (2) lay follower, with his hands clasped in adoration; (3) a male ascetic, with twisted hair and a water-pot in his hand; and (4) a female disciple, praying. Nos. 2 and 4 are shown in the photograph. M. Foucher's engraving shows Nos. 1, 3, 4. Birdwood's figure places No. 3 in the centre, with No. 2 on the proper right and No. 1 on the proper left. The style bears a general resemblance to that of the earlier Gandhāra sculptures, with the important difference that the quasi-Corinthian capital, characteristic of Gandhāran art, is absent. The form of the arches also is not exactly the same as that of any Gandhāran sculpture known to me, and I think that the reliquary may be regarded as a precursor of the Gandhāra school.²