Portraiture In Early India (handbook Of Oriental Studies)
by Vincent Lefèvre /
2011 / English / PDF
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In the study of Indian art prior to the Mughal period, portraiture
has so far been much neglected, when its existence has not simply
been denied. This book is an attempt to reassess this issue, by
showing that portraits have existed in great number in early India,
since probably the first artistic achievements. Through a close
scrutiny of sculpted and (more rarely) painted images brought
together with textual and epigraphical references, it aims at
highlighting the specificities of Indian portraiture, its
relationship with divine images and, consequently, at understanding
the development of Indian imagery. It questions also the social and
religious implications related to this issue.
In the study of Indian art prior to the Mughal period, portraiture
has so far been much neglected, when its existence has not simply
been denied. This book is an attempt to reassess this issue, by
showing that portraits have existed in great number in early India,
since probably the first artistic achievements. Through a close
scrutiny of sculpted and (more rarely) painted images brought
together with textual and epigraphical references, it aims at
highlighting the specificities of Indian portraiture, its
relationship with divine images and, consequently, at understanding
the development of Indian imagery. It questions also the social and
religious implications related to this issue.
