Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This bulbous-shaped ewer with a low foot, narrow neck, and a loop handle attached to the top of the neck is cast in one piece. The neck, with an overhanging rim that widens at the mouth, is decorated with moldings at the bottom and in the center. The loop handle is octagonal in cross-section. Most interesting is the spout in the form of an elephant's head with a raised trunk and a mahout seated on its neck. The costume and turban worn by the rider are Kusana, while the elephant is indigenous to the region. Similar vessel shapes are commonly found in the Hellenistic world around the time of the Christian era; therefore, it is not surprising to find them within the sphere of Gandharan influence, which took its inspiration from the classical West. Among Sir John Marshall's excavations in Taxila, vessels of this type were found. Marshall suggested that the ewer with a loop handle at the top belongs to the category of traditional Indian vessels, while one with the handle on the side follows Greco-Roman prototypes. Similarly, the metal ewers excavated by Marshall were found in later strata in Sirkap and date to the first century AD, or even earlier. However, the earlier type seems to be the one with the vertical spout, so that the type of spout represented here probably dates later, around the first century AD. Furthermore, the elephant spout with Kusana rider suggests a date no earlier than the first century AD. A gold spout in the form of an elephant's head, originally attached to a glass vessel, was found in Begram and is presently at the Kabul Museum. The ewer was damaged when acquired. There were two irregular holes located on the globular sides of the vessel, just below the neck, with surrounding cracks. Although the holes were not very large, the damage was visually disturbing and prompted the restoration. The bottom of the ewer, now missing, was left as is, with no attempt to restore it.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
151022
label
Ewer with Spout in the Form of an Elephant with a Mahut
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
151022
contentType
object
title
Ewer with Spout in the Form of an Elephant with a Mahut
description
This bulbous-shaped ewer with a low foot, narrow neck, and a loop handle attached to the top of the neck is cast in one piece. The neck, with an overhanging rim that widens at the mouth, is decorated with moldings at the bottom and in the center. The loop handle is octagonal in cross-section. Most interesting is the spout in the form of an elephant's head with a raised trunk and a mahout seated on its neck. The costume and turban worn by the rider are Kusana, while the elephant is indigenous to the region. Similar vessel shapes are commonly found in the Hellenistic world around the time of the Christian era; therefore, it is not surprising to find them within the sphere of Gandharan influence, which took its inspiration from the classical West. Among Sir John Marshall's excavations in Taxila, vessels of this type were found. Marshall suggested that the ewer with a loop handle at the top belongs to the category of traditional Indian vessels, while one with the handle on the side follows Greco-Roman prototypes. Similarly, the metal ewers excavated by Marshall were found in later strata in Sirkap and date to the first century AD, or even earlier. However, the earlier type seems to be the one with the vertical spout, so that the type of spout represented here probably dates later, around the first century AD. Furthermore, the elephant spout with Kusana rider suggests a date no earlier than the first century AD. A gold spout in the form of an elephant's head, originally attached to a glass vessel, was found in Begram and is presently at the Kabul Museum. The ewer was damaged when acquired. There were two irregular holes located on the globular sides of the vessel, just below the neck, with surrounding cracks. Although the holes were not very large, the damage was visually disturbing and prompted the restoration. The bottom of the ewer, now missing, was left as is, with no attempt to restore it.
date
1–100 CE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79934173
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.); Diameter of base: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
cul
Afghanistan, Gandhara, probably Taxila or environs, early Kushan
accession
1982.66
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Ewer with Spout in the Form of an Elephant with a Mahut, 1–100 CE. Afghanistan, Gandhara, probably Taxila or environs, early Kushan. Bronze; overall: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.); diameter of base: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1982.66
collection
Indian Art - Kushan, Gandhara
citations
citation
Lee, Sherman E. "Year in Review for 1982." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 70, no. 1 (1983): 3-55.
page_number
Mentioned: no. 102, p. 54; Reproduced: no. 102, p. 27
citation
Czuma, Stanislaw J., and Rekha Morris. <em>Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1985.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 86, p. 171
citation
Sengupta, Arputha Rani. <em>Buddhist Jewels in Mortuary Cult: Magic Symbols.</em> Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 2019.
page_number
Reproduced: Vol. 1, p. 149, fig. 3.49; mentioned: Vol. 1, p. 151
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:48:13.310000
sourceId
151022
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Indian Art - Kushan, Gandhara
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d04fcd6d23ff6d8b