Mathura School of Art

During the first century AD, Gandhara and Mathura School of Art flourished mainly during reign of Kushana emperor Kanishka. Mathura School had developed indigenously. The main traditional centre of production in this school was Mathura, and other important centres were Sarnath and Kosambi. The material used in this school was the spotted red sandstone. This art reached its peak during the Gupta period in 6th or 7th century.

The Mathura school images include those of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Vishnu, Shiva, Yakshas, Yakshinis, Jinas etc. representing its vitality and assimilative character as a result of the religious zeal of Brahmanism, Jainism and Buddhism. Jina Image and Indigenous style of Buddha’s image was a remarkable feature of Mathura art.

Master pieces of Mathura sculpture

Some of the master pieces of Mathura school include Wema Kadphises and Kaniska, Parkham Yaksa, Maholi Bodhisattva and seated Kubera.

Salient Features

Buddha Image

Before development of this school, Buddha was never depicted in a human form at any of Sanchi, Barhut or Gaya. Buddha was represented only as symbols, mainly two footprints or wheel. Artisans from Mathura initially continued to depict symbols but gradually the human image of Buddha appeared independent of other schools of art. This image of human Buddha was modelled on images of Yakshas rather. However, the initial image makers did not care for an anatomically correct Buddha image. Their images were a composite of 32 major and 80 minor laksana, or marks.

The early images of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva are happy, fleshy figures with little spirituality about them. They have block like compactness and smooth close-fitting robe, almost entirely devoid of folds. In the second century AD, images got sensual with increased rotundness and became flashier. The extreme fleshiness was reduced by the third century AD and the surface features also got refined. The trend continued in the fourth century AD but later, the massiveness and fleshiness was reduced further and the flesh became more tightened. The halo around the head of Buddha was profusely decorated.

The later evolution of Human form of Buddha was associated with humanly beauty and heroic ideals. Both sitting and standing posture of Buddha and Bodhisattvas were carved out in the Mathura school. The Standing Buddhas of the Sravasthi Sarnath and Kausambhi are finest example of Buddha image under this school.

Vaishnava and Shaiva images

The images of Vaishnava and Shaiva faiths are also found at Mathura but Buddhist images are found in large numbers.

Jaina Images

The Sarvatobhadrika image of 4 Jinas standing back to back belongs to the Mathura school.

Position of women in Mathura art

Woman was at the centre of the picture and there are few creations in the whole range of Indian art which can vie in elegance, delicacy and charm with the lovely feminine figures created by the Mathura artists.

Comparison with Gandhara Art

As mentioned above, the Mathura school had developed indigenously and the human Buddha image had rather modelled on existing Yaksha images. On the other hand, Gandhara School Buddha was modelled on existing Hellenistic images and had such features.

Analysis

How Mathura art was a formative art that gave impetus to other forms of art styles?

In many ways, Mathura school of art was a formative art which gave an impetus to other forms of art styles. Mathura represents an important formative stage in history of Indian art. It is here that one can fully observe the transition from symbolism to iconographic forms that were adopted later. Further, the forms of Brahmanical deities became crystallised at Mathura for the first time. The influence of Buddha image of the Mathura school spread far and wide both in India and Central Asia, reaching the great art centre of China. For example, the Buddha images at Tiang-lung Shan in Shansi are so similar to the seated images of Mathura that they seem to be the work of an Indian artist well acquainted with the Mathura school.