Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Fragment of a railing coping with an unidentified jataka
India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh
Not on view
This section of a railing coping from the Bharhut Great Stupa shows narrative scenes separated by an undulating lotus-vine creeper. Such reliefs were positioned on the inner face of the coping so they could be read by visitors as they progressed around the circumambulatory passageway. Open lotus blooms serve as veritable cornucopias, yielding rich textiles and precious jewels, including a four-strand necklace, plain and granulated earrings, and a tripartite crown. These, in combination with presently unidentified narrative scenes, indicate the artist has endeavored to both educate and entice worshippers.
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