90 W. Theobald —On certain symbols or devices on [No. 2, 
is seen though not quite so clearly made out. Turning now to Mr. 
Smith’s paper, the first coin suggestive of a serpentine termination of 
the ‘ cornu-copies ’ symbol is fig. 3 of Pl. II. The snake’s body in this 
coin comes round to the front, crosses the lap of the goddess and 
depends on one side from the left knee. This is not clearly to be seen 
on the plate, but is very distinct on a fine coin of the same type in my 
possession. In fig. 6, Pl. III, the goddess is represented sitting on a 
lion, and is described in the text (Page 186) as holding a flower in the 
left hand. Now this object is very unlike the flowers seen on other 
Gupta coins, as for instance in figs. 7 and 8 of the same Plate and in figs. 
1 and 10 of Pl. II, and is with greater probability intended for a snake 
with distended hood, displayed on a level with the head of the goddess, 
a distinct fold of the snake’s body being very distinctly seen in contact 
with the left knee. In some figure a sort of loop in this position may 
be held to represent the loose sleeve of the goddess, but in the present 
instance, it cannot possibly be thus explained, nor does there seem to be 
any alternative explanation to that now proposed. 
Another indication of the true nature of the 1 cornu-copke ’ symbol 
borne by the Ardocliro goddess on the Gupta coins is in the object seen 
at her feet. Of this Prof. Wilson thus speaks (A. A. Page 423). 
“ Instead of the lotus also, and the Indian mode of being seated, the 
female is often represented as sitting on a high-backed chair, with her 
feet on a footstool.” Now this 4 Ardochro footstool,’ so called, can ouly 
be so regarded, not because it bears any distinct impress of anything of 
the sort, but because it was plainly intended by the artist to represent 
something ; and being at the feet of the goddess, a stool seemed a pro¬ 
bable conjecture. But the stool so called, is simply the portion of a 
circle, and the execution of the coins is such as to render the idea wholly 
untenable that the artist lacked the ability of giving some closer resem¬ 
blance to a £ stool,’ to the object in question, had such been his design. 
The addition of only a few rough lines and cuts on the 4 die ’ would have 
left no doubt, that a 4 stool ’ was what the feet of the figure were reposing 
on ; as it is, the feet are simply encircled with a line, the area enclosed 
by which being ornamented with pellets or dots. The coins figured in 
A. A. Pl. XIV, figs. 19, 20, 21, and 22 support this contention, that it is 
not from want of artistic capacity that the so-called ‘ stool ’ is so very 
imperfect a representation of the object specified. 
If on the other hand the ‘ cornu-copiss ’ symbol is regarded as a con¬ 
ventional or covert representation of the ‘ Naga ’ or snake, then the £ stool ’ 
so called, at the feet of the goddess, at once resolves itself into the 
terminal coil of the monster’s body, vindicating the powers of the artist 
from the reproach of inadequately representing what it was his intention 
to convey. 
