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Sculpture from North India, 5th-7th Centuries
The Gupta empire unified a large portion of northern India, and the ensuing political stability, which lasted from about C.E. 319 until the 6th century, encouraged a cultural florescence; it included a proliferation of images and temples as well as exceptional achievements in poetry, drama, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. This period also seems to have been a time of relative religious tolerance: although the state religion of the Guptas was Hinduism, Buddhism received royal patronage and Jainism appears to have prospered as well. Sculpture produced throughout the Gupta empire has a relatively uniform "classic" style. It spread through much of India and along the trade routes to influence the art of the countries of South and Southeast Asia, most significantly that of Thailand and Java. The Gupta style also greatly influenced the art of north Indian kingdoms for centuries after the end of the Gupta dynasty. There were two main artistic centers for sculpture production: Sarnath produced images with clinging drapery while Mathura created images with patterns of string folds in the drapery. Both of these Gupta idioms are evident in objects from the Asia Society's collection. |
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