Origin of the Buddha Image
By Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Ltd
43 pages, illustrated; 8.75" x 11.5"
In this seminal work, the author shows that the Buddha image originated out of pre-existing Indian forms, and disproves the theories of those scholars with whom "Indo-Greek art has become a veritable obsession." The book is divided into six parts: What is the Buddha image? The early representation of deities by means of symbols. The necessity for a Buddha image. Elements of the later anthropomorphic iconography already present in early Indian art. Style and content: differentiation of Indian and Hellenistic types. Dating of Gandhara and Mathura Buddhas. Includes an appendix and 72 black & white photographs.
Art History; India; Buddhism
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