The lecture will discuss the rich Gandharan production of Buddhist art (2^nd -3^rd c., CE) with special emphasis on narrative reliefs and icons depicting the Buddha, as well as stupas enshrining sacred relics. The artistic evidence will be examined from an original vantage point highlighting placement, visual sources and ritual uses for Buddhist art and architecture uncovered in the Peshawar plain and in the Swat valley of Pakistan. The focus will be placed on selected Buddhist narratives that reflect religious concerns unique to this ancient frontier region of the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent.

About the Lecturer：

Dr. Pia Brancaccio | Professor of Department of Art and Art History of Drexel University

Dr. Pia Brancaccio is Professor of Art History at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA. She has done extensive research on Buddhist art in ancient South Asia, with a special focus on the ancient regions of Gandhara and the Western Deccan.  She is a longstanding member of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, and her publications on Gandharan art include the co-edited volume Gandharan Buddhism: Archaeology, Art and Text (UBC Press, 2006), in addition to several articles and book chapters. She is currently investigating the relationships between Buddhist art and drama in Gandhara. 

      Details       

Name: Art and Devotion in Ancient Gandhara

Where: Online

When: 14 August 2021, 09:30 am - 11:30 am

             ( Hong Kong Time: UTC+08:00 )

Language: English

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87105749238

Password: 774860