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India (Uttar Pradesh, Mathura)
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.
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Title: 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
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