Tree and Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India

Guy, John
2023
344 pages
322 illustrations
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A pioneering study of the emergence of Buddhist art in southern India, featuring vibrant photography of rare works, many published here for the first time

Named for two primary motifs in Buddhist art, the sacred bodhi tree and the protective snake, Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India is the first publication to foreground devotional works produced in the Deccan from 200 BCE to 400 CE. Unlike traditional narratives, which focus on northern India (where the Buddha was born, taught, and died), this groundbreaking book presents Buddhist art from monastic sites in the south. Long neglected, this is among the earliest surviving bodies of Buddhist art, and among the most sublimely beautiful. An international team of researchers contributes new scholarship on the sculptural and devotional art associated with Buddhism, and masterpieces from recently excavated Buddhist sites are published here for the first time—including Kanaganahalli and Phanigiri, the most important new discoveries in a generation. With its exploration of Buddhism’s emergence in southern India, as well as of India’s deep commercial and cultural engagement with the Hellenized and Roman worlds, this definitive study expands our understanding of the origins of Buddhist art itself.

Toy in the form of a makara, Terracotta, India, Uttar Pradesh, probably Kaushambi
India, Uttar Pradesh, probably Kaushambi
2nd–1st century BCE
Patravahaka yaksha, Sandstone, India, Madhya Pradesh
India, Madhya Pradesh
ca. 50 BCE
Rondel with the Goddess Hariti, Silver with gold foil, Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
ca. 1st century
Goddess who bestows riches, probably Sri Lakshmi, Molded terracotta, India, Chandraketugarh, West Bengal
India, Chandraketugarh, West Bengal
1st century BCE
Reliquary  in the shape of a stupa, Rock crystal, Sri Lanka, central or western regions
Sri Lanka, central or western regions
3rd–4th century CE
Reliquary  in the shape of a stupa, Rock crystal, Sri Lanka, central or western regions
Sri Lanka, central or western regions
3rd–4th century CE
Reliquary  in the shape of a stupa, Rock crystal, Sri Lanka, central or western regions
Sri Lanka, central or western regions
3rd–4th century CE
One from a Pair of Ear Ornaments (Prakaravapra Kundala), Gold, sheet, wire and granulation, India, Andhra Pradesh
India, Andhra Pradesh
ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
One from a Pair of Ear Ornaments (Prakaravapra Kundala), Gold, sheet, wire and granulation, India, Andhra Pradesh
India, Andhra Pradesh
ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
Ring stone with goddesses and aquatic plants, Steatite, Northern India
Northern India
3rd–late 2nd century BCE
Marble sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons, Marble, Roman
Roman
ca. 260–270 CE
Vessel terminating in the forepart of a fantastic leonine creature, Gold, Achaemenid
Achaemenid
ca. 5th century BCE
Disc stone, Steatite, Northern India
Northern India
ca. 3rd–late 2nd century BCE
Musée Guimet Decouvertes Archéologiques en Afghanistan et Indochine, Jean Buhot, Lithographic print mounted on linen, France
Jean Buhot
1938
Figures Riding an Elephant, Terracotta, India (Uttar Pradesh, Kaushambi)
India (Uttar Pradesh, Kaushambi)
1st century BCE
Plaster cast of a metal emblema of Isis-Tyche, Plaster, Egyptian
Egyptian
2nd half of the 3rd century – 2nd century B.C
One of a pair of medallions with portrait busts, Copper-nickel alloy, India, probably Maharashtra
India, probably Maharashtra
ca. 1st century CE
One of a pair of medallions with portrait busts, Copper-nickel alloy, India, probably Maharashtra
India, probably Maharashtra
ca. 1st century CE
Dharma-wheel pilaster (dharmacakrastambha), Limestone, Andhra Pradesh, possibly Ghantasala, Krishna district
Andhra Pradesh, possibly Ghantasala, Krishna district
ca. early 3rd century CE
The Conversion and Ordination of Nanda, Limestone, India (Andhra Pradesh, Goli)
India (Andhra Pradesh, Goli)
3rd century
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Guy, John. 2023. Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.