Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Railing pillar with yakshi and mithuna couple
India, Bharhut, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh
Not on view
This railing pillar from the Great Stupa complex at Bharhut in all probability belonged to the structure’s original stone railing, which in turn likely replaced a wood version. Such upgrades were made by new generations of donors to satisfy the desire for merit—at Bodhgaya, for example, the original stone railing was carefully buried when a newer version replaced it. Here, a goddess clutches the branch of a sala tree, identified by its slender leaves, flower buds, and fruit pods. Shown heavy with fruit, the tree, together with the goddess’s body, references fecundity, a theme made explicit by an amorous couple in the lower register. The goddess wears a pendant hair ornament of a type still used by women on the Tibetan Plateau.
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