In the context of the Mathura school of Art, during which of the following periods were a number of sculptures of Brahmanical dei…

Question

In the context of the Mathura school of Art, during which of the following periods were a number of sculptures of Brahmanical deities, such as Kartikeya, Vishnu and Kubera, carved?

1. A. Satavahana
2. B. Shaka
3. C. Parthian
4. D. Kushana (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Kushana

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Kushana.

Key Points

• The Mathura school of art flourished under the Kushanas (c. 1st–3rd century CE), using local red sandstone.
• Numerous sculptures of Brahmanical deities like Kartikeya, Vishnu and Kubera were carved in this period.

Additional Information

• The Mathura school worked in spotted red sandstone from Sikri and, unlike Gandhara, drew on indigenous rather than Greco-Roman models.
• It flourished under the Kushanas (c. 1st–3rd century CE), the period that also produced the earliest images of the Buddha in India.
• Contrast the three classical schools: Gandhara (grey schist, Hellenistic influence, north-west), Mathura (red sandstone, indigenous) and Amaravati (white marble, Satavahana patronage, Andhra).
• Mathura is notable for carving Jain and Brahmanical figures alongside Buddhist ones, which is why Kartikeya, Vishnu and Kubera appear in the question.