Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s25.t1: 4.22.1 Art
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s25.t1
- Language
- English
4.22.1 Art
c23.s25.t1.1
A gold ring of truly remarkable artistic merit was discovered in 1990 by chance from the dry bed of the Amaravathi river at Karur.¹ It has been assigned on stylistic grounds to ca. 2nd century A.D. The flat face of the ring has an oval incuse in which a pair of *mithuna* figures (amorous couple) of extraordinary grace and beauty are engraved in *intaglio* (Fig. 4.4). As Nagaswamy describes:²
c23.s25.t1.2
¹ No. 14, Table 1.8. I saw this exquisite gold ring at the South Indian Numismatic Conference at Thanjavur in January 1991, where it was exhibited by a dealer in antiquities. When I went to Karur in March that year in search of the ring, it had disappeared into the 'underground' art market. It is now reportedly in a private collection. See my earlier account of the episode in the Foreword in R. Nagaswamy 1995.
c23.s25.t1.3
² R. Nagaswamy 1991a & b; 1995: pp. 66-69, Pl. facing p. 66.
c23.s25.t1.4
The absolutely perfect proportions of the figure, the concept of symmetry as delineated in the legs, face and body, the flowing limbs, the composition and use of space, the remarkably agreeable contours, mark this as one of the most outstanding pieces of Indian art.
c23.s25.t1.5
I may add that one could see the influence of Greco-Roman lapidary in the portrayal which is still essentially South Indian in its ethos and idiom. As far as I know, this is the only known example of the 'royal art' (as distinguished from 'folk art') to have survived from the Caṅkam Age.