Loving Couple (Mithuna)

Period:
Kushan period
Date:
1st–2nd century
Culture:
India (Uttar Pradesh, Mathura)
Medium:
Double-molded terracotta
Dimensions:
D. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); Diam. 3 15/16 in. (10 cm)
Classification:
Sculpture
Credit Line:
Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1986
Accession Number:
1986.506.11
  • Description

    Depictions of loving couples are ubiquitous in early Indian art, occurring in stupa gateways and rock-cut shrines. Although their specific meaning is obscure, they are interpreted as an auspicious life-affirming presence. Another disk, perhaps from the same mold, was excavated at the early urban center of Sonkh, in Mathura, the Kushan-era capital of north India.

  • See also
    What
    Where
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    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
60005384

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