The early medieval age in north India (A.D. 700-1200), often viewed as the period of decline of the earlier classical tradition, was, in fact, marked by an efflorescence of literary, cultural, and artistic achievement. The building of magnificent temples, replete with elaborate sculptural programs symbolizing complex cosmological concepts, was one of the most significant accomplishments of this period of Indian history. For the first time, loose sculptures from north Indian medieval temples are examined within their architectural, religious, philosophical, and historical context. This approach is intended to serve as a basis for more comprehensive study of a subject that previously has received scant scholarly attention. This publication accompanies a seminal exhibition at The Asia Society Galleries, New York, and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, which brings together north Indian sculptures from public and private collections in the United States, India, England, and Europe.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vishakha N. Desai
Vishakha N. Desai is the Director of The Asia Society Galleries, New York. Prior to assuming her current position in 1990, Dr. Desai was at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she served as the assistant curator of the Indian, Southeast Asian, and Islamic collections; coordinator of academic programs; and acting head of the Education Department. She has taught at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. As a scholar, teacher, and student of Asian art, Dr. Desai has received numerous awards in India and the United States. Among the exhibitions organized by Dr. Desai are : Life at Court : Art for India's Rulers, 16th-19th Centuries, and Faces : Portraits from the Permanent Collection, both of which were accompanied by major publications. She has written extensively on Indian painting and has lectured nationally and internationally on Indian and Asian art. Darielle Mason is currently a member of the staff of the Asiatic Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she is responsible for the Indian, Islamic, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan collections. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, completing a dissertation on north Indian temple architecture and sculpture. Recipient of numerous awards during her graduate study, she has conducted extensive field research in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Ms. Mason has also worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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