The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

THE
334
'
HINDU RENAISSANCE
caskets with revetments of ivory plaques. These
objects are usually attributed to South India
and, specifically, Madura, although some may
have been carved in Ceylon in imitation of
Tamil models. A very complete and beautiful
example is in the British Museum [264]. The
'facade' of this jewel box is like a miniature
elevation of a Hindu temple, with its superimposed
friezes of lions and rosettes, dancing
figures, and a cornice of swans recalling the distribution
ofsuch subjects on the temples ofHalebid
[254] or on the classic Singhalese buildings of
Polonnaruwa [304]. This South Indian tradition
of ivory carving survives in Travancore and
Mysore to the present day, and is descended
from the beautiful craftsmanship of eighteenthcentury
Madura. This classic technique is represented
by a superb plaque of Krishna and
Radha entwined in erotic embrace, a tiny repetition
of the mithuna theme favoured earlier at
Konaraka and Khajuraho 9
[26s]. The manner in
which these smooth, seemingly boneless bodies
intertwine and literally melt one into another
adds to the provocative charm of a work in
which originally the addition of colour and gold
set off the creamy lustre of the bodies. As usual
in South Indian ivory carvings the figures are in
high relief against the openwork background.
264. Ivory jewel casket from South India.
London, British Museum