Demon

Photo by Jules Barthoux ©GrandPalaisRmn - Guimet Museum
Location
Tapa Kalān68
Description
This demon is dressed in a fur coat with a bonnet, which he fits around his neck with both hands. His reptilian attitude, advancing with a bent body, underlines his disturbing intention. The face of this enigmatic figure, which seems to be creeping along, expresses suffering and passion. He is a tempter, a demon. The clothing is finely rendered, emphasising the body and its movement.
Observations
J. Hackin suggests the possibility that this elaborate figure may be that of Māra, freed from the Gandharian canon where he appears most often as a "pretty boy Māra" (Hackin, 1928).
1928 / today


Excavation photograph by Jules Barthoux (1928) juxtaposed with a recent photograph by Alexandra Vanleene.
Comparative study
The same character also appears in a less alarming form: HADB n°169.
Characteristics
Dimensions
H: 29.4cm
Technique
Modelling
Material
Stucco
Object type
Figure
Site
Tapa Kalān - 68
Conservation location
Guimet Museum
Museum inventory No.
MG 17209
Traces of polychromy
No
Restoration
No restoration
Dimensions
H: 29.4cm
Technique
Modelling
Material
Stucco
Object type
Figure
Site
Tapa Kalān - 68
Conservation location
Guimet Museum
Museum inventory No.
MG 17209
Traces of polychromy
No
Restoration
No restoration
Bibliographic References
Part of the themed route