Relief with Musicians and Dancers Maker: Unknown

2nd century

Asian Art

On view, 2nd floor, Asian Art

Amid acanthus leaves and an elaborate column, a musician at center plays a handheld drum while, at right, a dancer steps in time to its rhythm, clapping his hands to the music. This relief would once have adorned the steps of a stupa, a domed structure that housed the relics of the Buddha. Although music and dance were thought to be inappropriate behaviors for the monks who prayed and practiced meditation together at stupas, the lively scene most likely reflects the activities of other visitors to the site, possibly as a precursor to more formal worship, such as ritual processions around the stupa.

Medium

Gray schist

Dimensions

2 7/8 × 7 × 7/8 in. (7.3 × 17.8 × 2.3 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Olsen

Accession Number

1955.51.15

Geography

Pakistan

Culture

Pakistani, Gandharan

Period

Kushan period (ca. late 1st–early 4th century)

Classification

Sculpture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Fred H. Olsen (1891–1986), and Florence Quittenton Olsen, Guilford, Conn.; gift in 1955 to Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

View IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more

Linked Art

API response for this object

Linked Art is a Community working together to create a shared Model based on Linked Open Data to describe Art.