Page 18 - Met Museum Ghandara Incense Burner

Figure 33. Lid of a vessel. Taxila. Copper (photo: John Mar- Figure 34. Queen Maya/Gaja Lakshmi on a lotus, detail
shall, Taxila [Cambridge, 1951], vol. 2, pl. 8oh) of a railing from Stupa 2. Sanchi, 2nd century B.C. Stone
(photo by John C. Huntington, courtesy of the Hunting-
ton Archive)

clear parallel of the Nereid supported by the aquatic (and not only Romanized Egypt) was a source for
tail of a Triton on a fine Gandharan dish in the Metro- Western motifs. Two Gandharan dishes in the Metro-
politan Museum (Figure 30). The Nereid's face is in politan Museum show winged Erotes, one borne on a
1
profile, and she touches the chignon at the back of lion-headed sea monster (Figure 3 ) and the other
her head. The subject is alien in the Indian context, riding a swan (Figure 32). These figures strike us as
and the forms are uncomfortable. (The image is also strange because they look like stunted adults. The
in reverse, as is common in copies or adaptations.) standard classical figures of Erotes, short pudgy
The Gandharan artist clearly misunderstood the babies, were available to be seen in Gandhara.74 Nev-
in
meaning of the motif, for instead of bathing water, ertheless, babies are rare in all of Indian art, even in
the woman's feet are dangling midair, with no indi- the most classicizing compositions.75 Moreover, the
in
cation of water below. Thus it seems that Italy proper figure of Eros riding a swan is holding a wreath with

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