Later Buddhist Art
Artist: unknown
Title: Buddha, seated, displaying dharmacakramudra, detail of
figures at the bottom
Material: Chunar sandstone
Site: Sarnath, near Varanasi, India
Current Location: Sarnath Museum, India
Period/Date: Gupta (ca. 5th century C.E.)
Iconography/Iconology: The group of figures seen beneath the Buddha's
throne are, apparently, the five ascetics who listened to the sermon, plus
a woman and child, seen at the left. It is probable that the woman and
child are the donors or patrons of the sculpture, as it is typical in Buddhist
art for such individuals to include themselves as devotees or in the assembly
of the teachings. Although badly damaged, the two deer and the wheel, seen
as viewed from the rim, are characteristics of Gupta period representations
of teaching scenes. In later sculpture, the wheel will be seen as a disc
between the deer. Ultimately, it became the symbol for all Buddhist teachings,
and probably carried some of that connotation during the Gupta period.
Stylistic Comments:
