Art of India and Southeast Asia

270 Pages·1971·38.277 MB·English

by  HUGO MUNSTERBERG

ART OF INDIA
AND
SOUTHEAST
ASIA
Hugo Munsterberg
PANORAMA OF WORLD ART
The arts of the lndiar subcontinent and of those
surrounding lands("Gr ,idia")thatfell under
its artistic influence are core given an unrivaled
pictorial treatment. The splendid illustrations and
informative text of this book carry the story from
the earliest evidence of civilization at such sites
as Mohenjo-Daroand Harappa in the third millen-
nium b.c. to the exquisite products ofthe Rajput
and Pahari schools of miniature painting of about
a hundred years ago.
Professor Munsterberg explains how, after the
collapse of the Indus Valley civilization at the
hands ofAryan invaders, the visual arts languish-
edforoverathousandyearsuntil-underthegreat
King Ashoka in the third century B.c.-there oc-
curred an astonishing revival of art in the ser-
vice of Buddhism. We see how this Buddhist art
quickly spread throughout and beyond the area
and enjoyed two later periods of great achieve-
ment: underthe Kushans in thefirst century a.d.
(whenthe "classical" Buddhaimageevolved) and
in the Gupta age of the fourth-sixth centuries,
which produced such masterworks as the superb
wall paintings at Ajanta. We then witness the
emergence of Hindu art in the seventh century
a.d., whose forms and iconography almost
entirely replaced those of the Buddhist artists.
The great temples of this so-called Hindu Medie-
val period,which lasted untiltheMoslemconquest
of northern India in the thirteenth century, sur-
pass, in the technical mastery of their fantastic
sculptural decoration, anything that was being
produced in theWestatthetime.
This companion volume to Professor Munster-
berg's ART OF THE FAR EAST (in which he sur-
veyed so successfully the whole artistic tradition
of China, Korea, and Japan-ultimately derived
from Buddhist India) embraces a vast area that
includes approximately one-third of the world's
population and covers a period of some five
thousand years.
239 illustrations, including 102 in full color;
map;chronologicaltable
5EE BACK FLAP FOR OTHJ $ IN THIS SERIES
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:
709.5 78335
Munsterberg, H.
Art of India and Southeast Asia
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PRINTEDINUSA

PANORAMA OF WORLD ART
ART OF INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

ART OF INDIA AND
SOUTHEAST
ASIA
HUGO MUNSTERBERG
Text by
HARRY N. ABRAMS, INC. Publishers NEW YORK
:
FormyfriendsandcolleaguesJohnFrankandRobertPyle
inappreciationoftheirhelpinmakingthisbookpossible
Frontendpapers:
ScenefromRamayana,Prambanan,Java.Stonerelief.Tenthcentury
Backendpapers
DharmarajaRathandDurgaSanctuaryatMamallapuram.
EarlyMedievalperiod,seventhcenturya.d.
rTS3
LibraryoSftCaonndgarredssBoCoaktaNluomgubeerC:ar8d10N9u-m8b0e1r3:-469-12487
Copyright 1970inGermanyby
HolleVerlagGmbH,Baden-Baden
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmay
bereproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublishers
HarryN.Abrams,Incorporated,NewYork
PrintedinWestGermany.BoundintheNetherlands
2
Contents
Preface 6
Introduction 7
Comparative Chronology 16
The Art of the Indus Valley Civilization 17
The Early Buddhist Art of India 24
Buddhist Art Under the Kushan Rulers 34
The Art of the Gupta Period 58
Hindu Art of the Early Medieval Period 76
Culmination of Hindu Art During the Later Medieval Period 95
The Hindu Art of Southern India 11
Indian Art Under Jain Inspiration 147
Miniature Painting of the Rajput and Pahari Schools 154
The Buddhist Art of Afghanistan and Central Asia 166
The Art of Nepal and Tibet 181
The Art of Ceylon and Indonesia 196
The Art of Burma and Thailand 214
The Art of Cambodia and Viet Nam 232
Map 258
Bibliography 260
Index 262
Photo Credits 263
PREFACE
This book could never have been produced without the generous help of the many
private collectors and museums who permitted me to reproduce objects in their
collections, and thefriendswho made theirphotographstaken inIndia availableto
me. Among the latter I am particularly indebted to John Frank, Robert Pyle, and
DanandAnitaChristoffel.Asonmanypreviousoccasions,Iamalsodeeplyindebted
to my wife who with painstaking care went over the manuscript and made many
helpful suggestions and corrections. Finally I wish to thank my teacher, Professor
Benjamin Rowland, with whom I had the privilege to study Indian art during my
yearsasagraduatestudentat Harvard.
NewPaltz,NewYork HugoMunsterberg