Statue of Hariti, Taxila, Museum
Date
Authors
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Description
The Ghandaran artists have attained their greatest success in sculptures of two very important deities: Panchika and Hariti -, male and female beings associated with traditional nature cults, Hariti is the Goddess of Fertility, and she usually appears with her children, as she does in our example, and is depicted with a tender expression on her face, She became a veritable mother-goddess of the Ghandarans and is sometimes depicted holding the trident, in one of four arms, as well as a water pot, Her resemblance to western goddess figures (and even borrowing some male attributes such as the trident) is striking, drapery is still treated transparently, but not realistically, for we do not feel that the volume of the body is actually present under the fluted lines, particularly in the region below the hips, The rest of the goddess' body, her face, hands and breasts, are treated in greater relief: perhaps to emphasize her motherly features and draw attention to her benign expressions
Citation
Collections
Source
Type
Archives Series
Basham Collection
Date created
circa 1970s
Access Statement
License Rights
This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
DOI
Restricted until
Downloads
File
Description