Corner Railing Pillar with Drinking Scenes, Yakshis, and Musicians
This pillar reflects the influence of Greco-Roman culture on Indian art and the influence of Gandharan styles and bacchanalian themes on the art of Mathura. The pillar depicts female figures who, seemingly intoxicated, play instruments and dance. Two additional scenes are carved on the base. First, a hunchbacked woman pours wine for an obese male fertility figure (yaksha). The second scene probably illustrates the story of the horse-headed yakshi who ate her victims.
Details
- Palette
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- Medium
- red sandstone
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.8 m, width 0.229 m, depth 0.24 m
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- John L. Severance Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Human Figure Metadata · 99%
The description identifies female figures, musicians, dancers, a hunchbacked woman, and yaksha and yakshi figures; numerous human and human-like figures are also clearly visible.
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Performing Arts Both · 96%
The catalog describes figures playing instruments and dancing, activities represented by the animated relief figures.
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Fertility/Pregnancy/Birth Metadata · 90%
The base includes an obese male fertility figure identified in the catalog as a yaksha.
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Mythology and Religion Metadata · 88%
The catalog identifies yaksha and yakshi figures and describes a probable mythic narrative on the base.
Visual Qualities
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Dense Composition Visual · 98%
Figures, vessels, foliage, drapery, and architectural bands are tightly compressed across the pillar with little unworked surface.
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 95%
The pillar is extensively covered with layered figural, vegetal, drapery, and architectural decoration.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 100%
The catalog classifies the object as sculpture, and the image clearly shows a freestanding three-dimensional carved pillar with projecting relief figures.
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Carving Both · 99%
The object is formed through subtractive carving of stone, with figures and ornament projecting from the pillar surface.
Time Periods
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Ancient Art Metadata · 98%
The Cleveland Museum of Art dates the work to the 100s CE.
Geographic Regions
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Indian Art Metadata · 99%
The work originated in Mathura, India, and is cataloged within Indian and Southeast Asian Art.
Materials
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Stone Metadata · 99%
The medium is recorded by the museum as red sandstone; the visible surface is consistent with a warm reddish stone.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Kushan Empire Metadata · 93%
The pillar is identified as belonging to the Kushan period; the catalog contains a corresponding Kushan cultural-historical category.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Corner Railing Pillar with Drinking Scenes, Yakshis, and Musicians. Cleveland Museum of Art.