Animals in stone : : Indian mammals sculptured through time / / by Alexandra van der Geer.

• Superior document: Handbook of Oriental studies = Handbuch der Orientalistik. Section 2, India, v. 21
• Author: Geer, Alexandra Anna Enrica van der, 1963-
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Language: English
• Series: Handbuch der Orientalistik. Indien ; 21. Bd.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (534 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The art history of South Asia covers a time span of roughly four and a half thousand years. During this period, a vast number of animal stone sculptures has been produced, ranging from the pre-historic period till today and covering a great variety of motifs and imagery in different regions and religious traditions. Even so, the number of studies devoted to these animal sculptures has remained extremely limited. The present book aims at filling this knowledge gap. With this richly illustrated book, the first of its kind, Van der Geer offers a comparative study of the ways in which various animals have been depicted and a lucid analysis of the sculptors’ treatment of their “models”: living animals. The art history of sculptured animals is contextualized with a description of the use of animals as can be read from ancient texts, archaeological evidence and contemporaneous culture. In doing so, parallels as well as differences in style or iconography are highlighted, elucidating the variety of animal depictions across regions, religious contexts and through time. The corpus of discussed material ranges from Indus seals, stupa panels and railings, monumental temples from North and South India, non-religious palace and fort architecture to loose sculptures in museum collections.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Antilope cervicapra, the blackbuck -- Axis axis, the spotted deer -- Bandicota indica, the bandicoot rat -- Bos gaurus, the gaur -- Bos indicus, the zebu -- Bos primigenius, the aurochs -- Boselaphus tragocamelus, the nilgai -- Bubalus bubalis, the water buffalo -- Camelus bactrianus, the Bactrian camel -- Camelus dromedarius, the dromedary -- Canis aureus, the golden jackal -- Canis familiaris, the domestic dog -- Capra hircus, the domestic goat -- Capra sibrica, the Asiatic ibex -- Cervus unicolor, sambar deer -- Cuon alpinus, the red dog -- Elephas maximus, the Indian elephant -- Equus caballus, the domestic horse -- Equus hemionus, the khur -- Felis spp., the small cats -- Funambulus spp., the striped palm squirrels -- Gazella bennetti, the chinkara -- Giraffa camelopardalis, the giraffe -- Herpestes spp., the Indian mongooses -- Hylobates hoolock, the white-browed gibbon -- nigricollis, the Indian hare -- Lutrogale perspicillata, the smooth Indian otter -- Macaca mulatta, M. radiata, the rhesus monkey and bonnet macaque -- Melursus ursinus, the sloth bear -- Muntiacus muntjak, the Indian muntjac -- Mus musculus, the common house mouse -- Ovis aries, the domestic sheep -- Panthera leo, the lion -- Panthera pardus, the leopard -- Panthera tigris, the tiger -- Platanista gangetica, the river dolphin -- Rhinoceros unicornis, the Indian rhinoceros -- Semnopithecus entellus, the common langur -- Sus scrofa, pigs and boars -- Tapirus indicus, the Asian tapir -- Tetracerus quadricornis, the chousingha -- Vulpes bengalensis, the Indian fox -- Who are Missing? -- Concluding Remarks -- Bibliography -- Glossary -- Index.