Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c28.1

v1.c28.1

Commenting on the Harappan arts, Allchins (1983: 202-03) made a remark that ‘the boundary between the field of craft and technology, and that of art is never very distinct, and constantly overlaps; where works of art survive, they did add greatly to our comprehension of pre-historic cultures, for they provide an insight into the minds of the artists’. The Indian artists’ minds dwelt on not only the contemporary spiritual and secular traditions but also the physical properties of the materials they worked with. Our primary concern in this chapter is with the latter aspects viz. the ‘craft and technology’ related to the objects of art. The modern sophisticated instruments permit us to undertake non-destructive testing of the ancient artefacts made of stones, gems, pigments, metals and alloys etc., and thus to establish a direct rapport with the ancient material culture and technology. This chapter is a sojourn of the material science in the world of ancient Indian art.