著者

高田 修

雑誌

美術研究 = The bijutsu kenkiu : the journal of art studies

巻号頁・発行日

no.257, pp.1-10, 1969-03-25

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As generally admitted, the reign of the imperial Gupta dynasty was a period of cultural efflorescence in Indian history, above all in the domain of art. It gave birth to the creation of a, new, highly refined style of sculpture, and deserves to be called the Indian Classic period. The sculptural activity seems to have attained the zenith during the fifth century by enhancing the aesthetic standard, and its tradition continued for a comparatively long duration, even after the fall of the Harsa's empire in the mid-seventh century : the Pallava and the Early Chālukya Schools being offshoots of the Gupta art in the South and the West India respectively. In this connection, the present writer, as an attempt of making a general stylistic survey of the early Brahmanic or Hindu sculpture, picking up four most noticeable sculptures of Visnu in particular in the ealier periods—the Gupta and the Early Mediaeval periods, gave brief descriptions and discussed on their stylistic positions in the history of Indian art. They are as follows: 1) The Varāha-avatāra (Boar Incarnation), relief in the Cave V, Udaya-giri, Bhopal, c. 401-2 A.D. The eariest datable sculpture of Viṣṇu, characterized by still un-refined but powerful execution which shows the early stylistic phase of the Gupta imperial art. 2) Standing Viṣṇu with four arms (mutilated at each elbow), from Mathurā, now in the National Museum, New Delhi, 5th century,-lent' to Japan for the opening exhibition of the Oriental Gallery, Tokyo National Museum, in 1968. It is a masterpiece of Viṣṇu statue, revealing the highest quality of workmanship and rivaling with the Buddhas from Mathurā and Sārnāth, it marks the culmination of artistic development of the Indian Classic period. 3) Viṣṇu on the Nāga Ananta (Anantaśāyin), relief in the Mahiśa Maṇḍapa, Mahābalipuram, mid-7th century. The Pallava School of sculpture is characterized with the round, smooth, skilful bodily modelling, and the dramatic, well-composed representation, and this panel in the maṇḍapa (cave) is conspicuous among others. 4) The Nṛsimha-avatāra (Man-lion Incarnation), relief in the Cave XV, Ellora, early 8th century. The excavation activities of the Hindu caves at Ellora, of which the zenith is marked by the magnificent Kailāsa rock-cut temple, possibly started at about the beginning of the eighth century. Those Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava reliefs in the Cave XV are excellent in workmanship among the Hindu sculpture at Ellora, as retaining the tradition of the late Gupta style, and should be placed in the earliest group of the caves.