Logo

The Central Antiquities Collection, Purana Qila has a large collection of excavated and explored antiquities from the sites located in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent (see Map), out of which terracotta forms representing the human figurines comprise the most interesting category. In this collection the examples of terracotta human forms are well represented dating from the early-Harappan times to the post Gupta period. Some scanty examples of later period are also available. The study of these human forms revealed that the tradition begins with the hand-modelled variety during the early Harappan and Harappan times, which gradually passes through changes in the form of partly modelled/partly moulded/single moulded variety during the Maurya Sunga periods and double-moulded variety of the Kushan-Gupta style of art. This book contains three chapters which begins with an introduction on the style, form, technique and previous work done (Chapter 1). The second Chapter gives brief archaeological background and chronology on each site mentioned in the last chapter (Chapter 3). The third chapter focuses on the description of the terracotta figurines available in the collection along with an extensive catalogue supported by a large number of photographs with a detailed description of each item as well as a map indicating the location of sites. The figurines are presented site-wise and are arranged in three parts, viz., the part one discusses the figurines from outside India; the second one consists of the sites within India; while the last one contains miscellaneous figurines from both outside and within India.