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Early Terracottas From Vaisālī
53
ornament and wear elaborate drapery. There is greater emphasis than in the Maurya period on the minute details. Stylistic counterparts are found in the contemporary stone sculptures of Madhyades and Eastern India. Thematic range is much widened so as to include the religious and secular, domestic and decorative. Some important pieces and types, are discussed below (Fig. 6.7.8.9).
Mother Goddess: They are hand modelled and archaic in appearance. The figures have punched and applied decoration and one of them have a slit mouth.
Female Head84: The pieces referable to this type are fragmentary and conspicuous by applied elaborate headdresses made of discs usually one on each side and the other at the centre. This feature probaly evolved out of rosettes noticed on some female heads stylistically ascribed to the Mauryan period.85 Another groups of female heads is distinguished by bi-coronate headdress which is again considered to be Mauryan on some other context.87
depict the land
Lady with the Bird: Three mutilated plaques with a peacock. She has slender waist and broad hips. Her ornaments
34. Ibid, pl. XLIII. 35.
H. Hartel & J. Auboyer. Indien und Sudostasien, pp. 159-60. 36. VE, 58-62. pl. XLV, Fig. 8.
37.
P. C. Dasgupta, Early Terracottas From Chandraketugarh, Lalitkala, 6, 1959, pl. XIII, Fig. 1.
VE, '50, pl. XIII, Fig. 2 & 3.
38.
Fig. 6
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