Ivories From Begram, Kapisa Province.

1981
Decorated plaques (h. 13.80 cm.) in high relief depicting scantily dressed women (few, if any, males feature in the ivories) typical of female figures found in Indian stone architecture. These plaques were affixed to the back of a 3-meter-long couch by copper nails. Here in a torana (archway) a woman carrying her baby on her left hip lifts her right foot to touch the trunk of an ashoka tree, a symbol of fertility. The varied graceful postures of the legs suggest these ladies might be dancers. These portrayals accord with ideal classic forms for women descried in early Indian literature, but rarely featured in the plastic arts to the extent they were seen at Begram.
Photo: Louis Dupree from J. Auboyer

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Filename: 81-948.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 6164x3929 / 5.0MB; 1981 Afghanistan Kapisa Begram Ivories Decorated Plaques Scantily Dressed Women Female Figures Indian Stone Architecture Torana Archway Baby Ashoka Tree Black and White Louis Dupree J. Auboyer Slide LD 1981 02039
Contained in galleries: NATIONAL MUSEUM II: CE (Common Era)

1981<br />
Decorated plaques (h. 13.80 cm.) in high relief depicting scantily dressed women (few, if any, males feature in the ivories) typical of female figures found in Indian stone architecture. These plaques were affixed to the back of a 3-meter-long couch by copper nails. Here in a torana (archway) a woman carrying her baby on her left hip lifts her right foot to touch the trunk of an ashoka tree, a symbol of fertility. The varied graceful postures of the legs suggest these ladies might be dancers. These portrayals accord with ideal classic forms for women descried in early Indian literature, but rarely featured in the plastic arts to the extent they were seen at Begram. <br />
Photo: Louis Dupree from J. Auboyer