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Lot Essay
An important Buddhist site since the Mauryan period, the stupa at Amaravati in the Andhradesha region underwent an impressive refurbishment sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. The kings of the Satavahana dynasty had recently established their base of power in the nearby city of Dharanikota, and their involvement in the reconstruction of the monument was both an indication of their wealth and power as well as a symbol of their intention to propagate the Buddhist religion. The prosperity of the region was due in part to its lucrative position in the global trade routes between Europe, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The wide and deep Krishna River allowed the largest ships of the ancient world to easily access the city, and excavations at the site have revealed Roman coins and other foreign objects from the first centuries AD.
Also revealed through excavations at Dharanikota were large quantities of cut limestone, which had been shipped up the Krishna River from another location and used in large quantities at the Great Stupa at Amaravati. Rivaling the important dome at Sanchi for size and importance, the stupa at Amaravati had a system of reliefs, friezes and free-standing sculptures, all carved in the same cream-colored limestone. As is evident in this example, the influence of their trade partners, the Romans, is clearly visible in the treatment of the robes, the folds of which voluminously cascade from the shoulder. However, in contrast to Gandhara, a contemporaneous art historical phase in the northwest of India that was directly influenced by Classical sculptural styles, the sculpture of Amaravati continued to exhibit the traditional stylistic characteristics of Indian works. The protruding belly and round form beneath the robes are indications of this sculptural tradition.
The popularity of Buddhism in the region waned over the centuries as Hinduism gained a wide following. The last inscriptions that mention the Buddhist site date from the 12th century, and it was forgotten from history until it was unearthed by British surveyors in 1797. After a series of minor excavations in the early part of the 19th century, the Governor of Madras ordered the site cleared 1880. What is known about Amaravati today is pieced together from the few excavations carried out before the clearing, as well as from the permanent collections in the British Museum and the Government Museum in Madras, where much of the assemblage resides.
Also revealed through excavations at Dharanikota were large quantities of cut limestone, which had been shipped up the Krishna River from another location and used in large quantities at the Great Stupa at Amaravati. Rivaling the important dome at Sanchi for size and importance, the stupa at Amaravati had a system of reliefs, friezes and free-standing sculptures, all carved in the same cream-colored limestone. As is evident in this example, the influence of their trade partners, the Romans, is clearly visible in the treatment of the robes, the folds of which voluminously cascade from the shoulder. However, in contrast to Gandhara, a contemporaneous art historical phase in the northwest of India that was directly influenced by Classical sculptural styles, the sculpture of Amaravati continued to exhibit the traditional stylistic characteristics of Indian works. The protruding belly and round form beneath the robes are indications of this sculptural tradition.
The popularity of Buddhism in the region waned over the centuries as Hinduism gained a wide following. The last inscriptions that mention the Buddhist site date from the 12th century, and it was forgotten from history until it was unearthed by British surveyors in 1797. After a series of minor excavations in the early part of the 19th century, the Governor of Madras ordered the site cleared 1880. What is known about Amaravati today is pieced together from the few excavations carried out before the clearing, as well as from the permanent collections in the British Museum and the Government Museum in Madras, where much of the assemblage resides.