The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 2, 2023

Ringstone

200s BC

India, Maurya period

Steatite

Diameter: 10.2 cm (4 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1977.36

Location

242A Ancient India

Description

Ringstones are among the earliest works of art to be created in stone during India's historical period. This example is finely carved with detailed images of affectionate couples and palm trees, running animals, and geometric motifs in concentric circles. The function of ringstones remains uncertain, since none of the surviving examples is inscribed or explained in a text.

Provenance
?–1977
(Julian Sherrier, London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1977–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Annual Progress Report of the Archeological Survey of India, Central Circle, for 1920-21. Patna: Government Press, 1921. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 21, pl. XVII
Marshall, John. Taxila, An Illustrated Account of Archaeological Excavations Carried Out at Taxila Under the Orders of the Government of India between the Years 1913 and 1934. Cambridge [England]: University Press, 1951. vol. III, p. 147
Irwin, John. “Late Mauryan or Early Shunga Ring-stones,” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (1951), pp. 1-2.
Sharma, Y.D. “Past Patterns in Living as Unfolded by Excavations at Repar.” Lalit Kalā, 1-2 (1955-56). Mentioned and Reproduced: pl. XLVI, fig. 13, pp. 125
Chhobra, B. Ch. “Antiquities from Jhusi and Other Sites." Lalit Kalā 9 (1961), pp. 11-15. Mentioned and Reproduced: pl. VI, fig. 14
Chandra, Pramod. “The Cult of Śrī Lakshmī and Four Carved Discs in Bharat Kala Bhavan” in Chhari, (Varanasi: Bharat Kala Bhavan, 1971) pp. 139-148.
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 286 archive.org
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1977.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 65, no. 1, 1978, pp. 2–43. Mentioned: no. 143, p. 43; Reproduced: no. 143, p. 31 www.jstor.org
"Annual Report for 1977." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 65, no. 6 (1978): 177-215. Mentioned: p. 191 www.jstor.org
Gupta, S. P. The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan. Delhi: B.R. Pub. Corp, 1980. Mentioned and Reproduced: Chapter 2
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 11 archive.org
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.36