1889.] 



on t7ie Givilixatian of Ancient India. 



Indian l'eliofs.* But the ivories do not seem to me to be exactly con- 

 temporary with the Indian work. 



The closest parallels to the Gandhara sculptures in relief are to be 

 found among the remains of early Christian art, though not among the 

 ivory carvings. These parallels are to be found in a place where we 

 should hardly expect them, the Catacombs of Rome. 



It would be impossible by any number of pages of mere description 

 to bring home to the reader's mind the reality of the likeness here 

 asserted, but a comparison of the heliogravure plates of the Gandhara 

 sculptures edited by Major Cole with the similar plates of the sculptures 

 in the Catacombs in Roller's work will convince any one who takes 

 the trouble to make it that the connection between the two, however 

 it came to pass, is very close indeed, f 



I shall merely give references to the plates in M. Roller's book 

 which closely resemble Major Cole's. 



PI. XLTI. A sarcophagus, " a, demi-paieu, a demi-chreticn," from 

 the cemetery of Callixtus, and probably dating from the third century. 

 The arrangement of the whole composition much resembles that of 

 many of the Gandhara reliefs, and the posture of the figure of Psyche 

 is nearly identical with that of Prajapati in the Nativity group from the 

 upper monastery at Nuttu, described ante, p. 124. 



PI. XLIV. Sarcophagus of St. Constantia, with vintage scenes 

 and genii ; 4th century. 



PI. XLV. Sarcophagus from the Basilica of St. Paul, with various 

 scenes of the life of Christ and His disciples, sculptured in high relief ; 

 4th century. The scenes in this composition are not separated by 

 columns. The resemblance in general effect to some of the best Gan- 

 dhara sculptures is very strong. 



* Westwood, Descriptive Catalogue of the Fictile Ivories in the South Kensington 

 Museum (1876), PI. II, III. Compare the large Catalogue of Original Ivories in the 

 samo Museum by Haskell (1872), and the little hand-book by the same writer, 

 entitled Ivories, Ancient and Mediceval. Other references are given by Fergusson in 

 I. and E. Architecture, p. 182. 



t Zee Gatacombes de Rome, Histoire do I' Art et des Croyances Reil-jienees 

 pendant lee premiers Siecles du Christianisme, par Theophile Roller, Paris, We. A. 

 Morel ot Cie. ; 2 vols, large folio n. d., with 100 heliogravure plates. Readers who 

 cannot obtain access to this work or De Rossi's publications may verify the compari- 

 son made by reference to " Roma Sotterranea, or an Account of the Roman Cata- 

 combs especially of the Cemetery of St. Callixtus; compiled from the works of 

 Commendatore De Rossi, with the consent of the author. New edition, rewritten 

 and greatly enlarged, by Rev. J. Spencer Northcote, D. D., Canon of Birmingham, 

 and Rov. W. R. Brownlow, M. A., Canon of Plymouth ;" 2 volumes, 8vo., London, 

 Longman's, Green and Co., 1879, with numerous engravings. 



