Indo-Corinthian Capitals from Shnaisha (Swat)

Abstract

The classical character and extraordinary beauty of the Indo-Corinthian (also called Gandhāran Corinthian) pilaster capitals, found in the ruins of Buddhist sites in Gandhāra, have often excited the imagination and interest of art historians who never failed in making appreciatory comments and in speculating upon the source of inspiration. The most charming (Fig. 12) of these first came to light at Jamāl Gaṛhi situated some eight miles due north of Mardan. But since then, they have been reported from several other sites. A. Cunningham in his excavation of Jamāl Gaṛhi in 1852 found about a dozen of them, at that time considered to be the largest number known from any single site. But now Shnaisha, situated on the Saidu Marghuzar road, has, with its seventeen examples, surpassed this number. The capitals from both the above-mentioned sites are carved out of light grey phyllite and exhibit a good deal of conformity in their design and decorative pattern. But in the mode of construction, they follow different traditions. The Jamāl Gaṛhi examples, for instance, show that each capital was constructed by joining together two to six prefabricated parts by iron cramps. On the contrary, Shnaisha has only one example in which two pieces are joined together, while every one of the rest is carved out of a separate single block. Moreover, the Jamāl Gaṛhi examples revealed traces of gilding at the time of their discovery. But the practice of gilding remains unattested at Shnaisha. Besides this, the bold and natural depiction of acanthus leaves at Shnaisha is apparently different from Jamāl Gaṛhi where imaginary forms, such as fabulous animals, are also included to enhance the decorative effect. Thus, Shnaisha marks the stage of initial experimentation in the art of making the capitals look beautiful and Jamāl Gaṛhi its culmination.