■140 V. A. Smith — Grceco-Roman influence [No. 3, 



Greek in subject and treatment, was discovered in 1882 by Sir A. 

 Cunningham, also at Mathura, where it served an humble purpose as the 

 side of a cattle-trough. This unique specimen now adorns the Indian 

 Museum, Calcutta. Dr. Anderson's careful, though rather awkwardly 

 worded, description of it is as follows : — 



" M. 17.— A figure of Hercules in alto-rilievo, 2 feet 5 inches 

 high, strangling the Nemean lion. The latter is represented standing 

 erect on its hind feet, but grasped round the neck by the left arm of 

 Hercules, who is pressing the neck against his shoulder. The right 

 arm of the statuette is broken off, but, as the axilla is exposed, the arm 

 had been represented raised and bent on itself at the elbow, so that 

 the hand had been brought down close to the shoulder, but hidden in 

 the foliage behind the figure, the tree being the same as occurs in the 

 Silenus group. The greater portion of the knotted club is seen behind 

 the right side of the figure. The action, therefore, is not only that of 

 strangling, but of clubbing the lion as well. The head of Hercules 

 has been lost, and the front part also of the head of the lion. He 

 (scil. Hercules) is represented as having worn the skin of an animal 

 over his back, as the front limbs are tied before his chest in a loop- 

 knot, the free ends being the paws. The beard of the lion is indi- 

 cated by parallel pendants, and, on the full rounded left cheek, there 

 is a somewhat stellate figure with wavy arms, probably a rude Swas- 

 tika. The fore-limbs of the lion are raised to the front of its neck, 

 grasping the left hand of Hercules, but they are very feebly executed. 

 The general art characters of the figure are essentially Grecian, but, 

 in the attitude in which Hercules is placed towards the lion, and 

 the consequent position of his right-arm, it would be extremely difficult 

 to deal any but the most feeble blow. Although there is considerable 

 anatomical accuracy in delineating the position of the various muscles 

 brought into play in Hercules, the lion is devoid of action and badly 

 shaped."* 



These Mathura sculptures have very little in common with those 

 of Gandhara, and seem to be the work of a different school. They have 

 not the Roman impress which is so plainly stamped on the art of Gan- 

 dhira, and are apparently the result of Greek teaching convoyed through 

 other than Roman channels. It is difficult to fix their date with pre- 

 cision. It cannot well be later than A. D. 300, and the stylo is not 

 good enough to justify the suggestion of a very early date. Perhaps 

 A. D. 203 may be taken as an approximate date for these works, but at 

 present their chronological position cannot be definitely determined. 



* Catalogue, Part I, p. 190. 



