Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

2 .4
themes. Terracotta artefacts made from moulds, as well as glyptics and jewellery were
widespread. Local craftsmen were well acquainted with the art of working metal and
stone, as is reflected, in particular, in the sculptural reliefs of the Airtam frieze. In
addition to Hellenistic and Gandhara influences, the artistic techniques of all these
forms of art reflect local traditions dating back to ancient times.
Art of the Kushan period
Southern Central Asia became part of the Kushan state under the reign of the great
king Wima I Tak(to) in the middle or early second half of the 1st century AD and
remained part of it until the conquest by the Sassanids under Shapur I (AD 241–
272). The Hissar mountain range formed the northern boundary of the Kushan
kingdom and here they built a strong fortification system, which separated Bactria
from Sogdia, and the Kangju state from the Kushan kingdom. As a result, Kushan art
found here represents the Bactrian art of the period.
Art from this period originating in the Surkhan Darya province of Uzbekistan
and northern Afghanistan is richly varied and distinctive and includes examples of
monumental sculpture, wall-painting, architectural decoration, terracotta, pottery,
bone carving, glyptics, jewellery and artistic metalwork. Kushan art developed along
two main lines – Indo-Buddhist and local Bactrian, which was largely Hellenistic,
with some of influences of nomadic art traditions, especially in the decorative arts.
Monumental sculpture is a particularly notable art form of the region, with a
tradition dating back to Seleucid and Graeco-Bactrian times, as the excavations of
the temple of Oxus have revealed. The main materials used were clay, plaster and
stone, although metal sculpture or sculptures combined with metalwork may also
have existed in the area, as evidenced by the statuette of a man made of wood with a
thin silver overlay found at Kampyrtepa. Clay sculptures were made by hand, using a
technique whereby several layers were applied to an inner shell with the overall shape
of the figure then being defined, followed by a carefully sculpted layer of the same
clay or plaster and painted in the respective colours of the body and face. Stamps were
often used to impress individual facial details and ornaments. As a rule, clay sculpture
in front of walls or mounted on walls was worked in high relief. Stone sculpture was
rendered in friezes (as in Airtam) or in separate sculptural groups of seated (also in
Airtam) or standing figures (as in Surkh Kotal). Bactrian sculpture was generally
monumental and had a strictly frontal perspective. However, judging by the images
of kings and deities on coins, which are apparently copies of monumental sculptures,
profile and three-quarter images were clearly not unknown.
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