Presents a preliminary glimpse into the world of Indian art during pre-modern times. This volume presents how 'art in India' and 'art in the western world' are different entities. It explains how art in the Indian context has been passed over to different generations and describes how the issues concerning mediocracy and peculiarity of artists, changes in art form owing to theological understanding, were expressed.
Divided into 18 chapters, Coomaraswamy covers the history of India from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. This book touches upon the arts based on different religions and kingdoms that ruled over the Indian subcontinent in ancient and medieval India. These include Aryan, Dravidian, Vedic, pre-Mauryan, Mauryan, Buddhist, post-Mauryan, Puranic Hinduism, Kushanas, Andhra, Gupta, Jaina, Rajputana, Indonesian, and other medieval era influences from both northern and southern parts of India.
This volume will be of great interest to the scholars, researchers, and professors in Indian art, aesthetics, and history, as it is a prelude to the scholarly writing made in the Indian art tradition.
• Introduction xi
• 1. Indo-Sumerian
• 2. Dravidians and Aryans 5
• 3. The Sagunaga-Nanda Period (642-320 B.C.) 12
• 4. Vedic Origins 20
• 5. Pre-Mauryan Sculpture 21
• 6. The Great Enlightenment 23
• 7. Early Buddhist ArtMaurya, guliga and Early Andhra 26
• 8. Development of Devotional Theism 32
• 9. Kuana and Later Andhra Period 36
• 10. The Gupta Period 44
• 11 . Early Mediaeval Period 51
• 12. Mediaeval Sculpture (A.D. 850-1200) 56
• 13. Southern India (Tenth to Eighteenth Century) 6o
• 14. Further India and Indonesia 64
• 15. Mediaeval Buddhist Painting 68
• 16. jaina Painting 71
• 17. Rajput Painting 73
• 18. Understanding Indian Art 78
• Supplementary Bibliography 85
• Notes on Illustrations 87
• Index 93
