Gupta art flourished in Northern India from the 4th to the 6th century. Its aesthetic canons and iconographic models influenced the artistic traditions of neighboring countries, in Nepal, South East Asia and even Central Asia. The peace and stability of this era was propitious to the development of religious thought, sciences, literature and theatre, and made the Gupta period a golden age in Indian history. This period was a time of sophisticated urbanity. The essential features of Gupta aesthetics can be succinctly summed up as follows.The figurine depicts Buddha on a horse. The sculptor has conveyed a sense of powerfulness thanks to the robust modeled torso and the sturdy shoulders of the Buddha, and gracefulness in the clothing of Buddha as well as his facial expressions. Gupta artists did not deviate fundamentally from the styles they had inherited. Rather, they combined the plasticity of Sanchi and Mathura with the linear elegance of Amaravati to create a new form that is vibrant, suave, full, but buoyant, spiritually moving, although not devoid of sensuous appeal. - (LO.1393)

Antiquities
Ancient Near East