Indo-Corinthian capitals

TheAhin Posh stupa was decorated with Indo-Corinthian capitals. 2nd century CE.^[1]

Left image: Classical GreekCorinthiananta capital.
Right image: An Indo-Corinthian capital with a palmette and the Buddha at its centre, 3-4th century,Gandhara.

Indo-Corinthian capitals arecapitals crowningcolumns orpilasters, which can be found in the northwesternIndian subcontinent, and usually combineHellenistic andIndian elements. These capitals are typically dated to the first centuries of theCommon Era, and constitute an important aspect ofGreco-Buddhist art.

Indo-Corinthian capitals display a design and foliage structure which is derived from the academicCorinthian capital developed in Greece. Its importation to India followed the road of Hellenistic expansion in the East in the centuries after the conquests ofAlexander the Great. In particular theGreco-Bactrian kingdom, centered onBactria (today's northernAfghanistan), upheld the type at the doorstep of India, in such places asAi-Khanoum until the end of the 2nd century BCE. In India, the design was often adapted, usually taking a more elongated form and sometimes being combined with scrolls, generally within the context of Buddhiststupas and temples.

Indo-Corinthian capitals also incorporated figures of theBuddha orBodhisattvas, usually as central figures surrounded by, and often under the shade of, the luxurious foliage of Corinthian designs. This practice was not limited to India, and also found favor in various areas ofCentral Asia. The depiction of figurines within the foliage of Corinthian capitals is not in itself an eastern development. In the ancient Greek world in theMediterranean, figurines were often represented this way:

Figural additions are very common in the classical world, and from an early period, usually take the form of heads or busts, but the Gandhara treatment is original in that theacanthus leaves form a canopy over it.^[2]

Indo-Corinthian capital were also used in combination with architectural elements, such as Buddhist stupas. One of the best example was excavated and reconstituted atSirkap.

Perhaps the most notable divergence from the western concept of function occurs at Kalawan,Taxila, where a large acanthus capital set on a lotus base was inserted between the conventional square basement and cylindrical dome of a votive stupa.^[2]

Further, in the art ofGandhara, Indo-Corinthian capitals on top of separating pilasters are used extensively in narrativefriezes of the life of the Buddha. This usage continued as late as the 5th century.

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  Base of pillar, Indo-Corinthian capitals and elephants from base of stupa,Jamal Garhi
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  An Indo-Corinthian capital from theButkara Stupa under which a coin ofAzes II was found. Dated to 20 BCE or earlier (Turin City Museum of Ancient Art).
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  Indo-Corinthian capital representing a Buddhist devotee wearing a Graeco-Roman coat withfibula.Butkara Stupa,National Museum of Oriental Art,Rome.
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  A pilaster decorated by a Corinthian capital and a female figurine, Athens, 2nd-1st century BCE.
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  The Buddha, within the foliage of a Corinthian capital.
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  Series of Indo-Corinthian capitals from Jamal-Garhi.
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  A Buddhist triad flanked by two pilasters with Indo-Corinthian capitals, Gandhara, 3rd century CE.
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  Indo-Corinthian canopy at theChakhil-i-Ghoundi stupa,Hadda.
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  Small Gandhara architectural pillar
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  Capital with centralquadriga.Butkara Stupa.
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  Indo-Corinthian capital featuring the charriot-driving sun godSurya. Gandhara, 2nd century CE.

• Indo-Greek art
• Greco-Buddhist art

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• Buddhist architecture
• Hellenistic architecture
• Orders of columns
• Gandhara art

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