The Indus Civilization (Cambridge History of India, Supplementary Volume) c17.65

c17.65

Painted decoration is of better quality in the lower levels so far explored at Mohenjo-daro, but is not entirely absent from the later. The commonest and simplest type consists of horizontal lines of various thickness. More pictorial motives include intersecting circles or derivative leaf-patterns, scales, chequers, lattice-work, "kidney-shaped" designs based upon the conch-shell sections which were frequently used for inlay, "comb"-patterns, wave-patterns variegated by cross-hatching, and semi-naturalistic forms, notably palms, pipal-trees and rosette-like floral units. Peacocks sometimes appear singly or in superimposed series (fig. 12, 10), and fish are represented, often with cross-hatched bodies. Caprids are rare,⁵ and most of the animals familiar on the Indus seals do not appear at all on the pottery.