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

THE SUNGA PERIOD 85
32. Sanchi, Stupa 2, medallion with Yakshi Assamukhi
33 {right). Sanchi, Stupa 2, railing pillar
[32] are generally restricted to a single figure or
a motif set off by realistic or decorative foliate
forms, such as the Wheel and the Tree, to
typify moments from the life of the Buddha, or
animals and birds intended to evoke the stories
of his former incarnations. The repertory of
motifs is not large, and is probably copied in
stone from ready-made prototypes in wood or
ivory. Typical of this earliest phase of relief
sculpture are the panels decorating the outer
jamb of the eastern gateway [33]. In the upper
panel are represented a man and woman who
may perhaps be identified as donors or as an
early instance of the tnithuna, the auspicious
pair emblematic of fruitful union. In the lower
panel is a turbaned personage with shield and