Early Buddhist Art
Artist: unknown
Title: Mauryan pillar capital from the Great Stupa at Sanchi
(Stupa I)
Material: Chunar sandstone
Site: Sanchi, India
Current Location: Sanchi Site Museum, India
Period/Date: Mauryan (ca. 323-185 B.C.E.)
Iconography/Iconology: There is considerable debate about the meaning
of the adorsed lions that form the major portion of the capital sculpture.
The lions originally supported a wheel (cakra
) that is symbolic of the Buddha having set the teachings in motion
by "turning the wheel of the law." Throughout the history of Buddhist
art, lions have been used in the context of supporting the teachings by
lending their power and energy to them. On the other hand, the lions may
have been secular symbols of the rule of the Mauryans who had adopted an
essentially Persian iconography. The Buddhist may have then adopted this
royal iconography.
Stylistic Comments: The lions are sculpted in an Achamenid style
and greatly reflect 5th and 6th century sculptures in Persia, strongly arguing
for their "Persian" roots. The only difference between the Sarnath
pillar and this pillar are the figures around the drum beneath the lions.
