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Stair Riser with Marine Deities or Boatmen

ca. 1st century
Not on view
This sculpture and the triangular side relief (13.96.19) are part of a set of twenty-one panels that embellished the stairway of a stupa, likely on the western end of the Swat Valley. The treatment of the anatomy of these athletic men is interesting in terms of both the naturalism and schematization of the musculature. The oars they carry and the acanthus leaves that appear to grow out of their bodies suggest that they are marine deities.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Stair Riser with Marine Deities or Boatmen
  • Date: ca. 1st century
  • Culture: Pakistan (ancient region Gandhara (Swat Valley?)
  • Medium: Serpentinite
  • Dimensions: H. 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm); W. 17 in. (43.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1913
  • Object Number: 13.96.21
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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Marine Deity (Triton or Ichthyocentaur), Serpentinite, Pakistan (ancient region Gandhara (Swat Valley?)
Marine Deity (Triton or Ichthyocentaur)
Pakistan (ancient region Gandhara (Swat Valley?)
ca. 1st century
Stair Riser: Dionysian Scene with Musicians and Dancers, Schist, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Stair Riser: Dionysian Scene with Musicians and Dancers
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
ca. 1st century
Staircase from Cassiobury Park, Hertfordshire, Edward Pearce, Risers, treads: oak; balustrade friezes, finials: elm; newel posts, stringers, skirting, baluster bases, balusters, handrails: pine, British
Staircase from Cassiobury Park, Hertfordshire
Attributed to Edward Pearce
ca. 1677–80
Case (Inrō) with Design of Grasshopper on Stalk of Flowering Lily, Nomura Chōkei (dates unknown) Japanese, Case: Powdered gold (maki-e) on black lacquer with mother-of-pearl, pewter, and ceramic inlays; floral decoration on risers in incised gold; Fastener (ojime): carved red lacquer with design of Chinese sage and pine; Toggle (netsuke): stained ivory carved in the shape of a farm woman and child (signed: Homin), Japan
Case (Inrō) with Design of Grasshopper on Stalk of Flowering Lily
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18th–19th century
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Case (Inrō) with Design of Poppies
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