Serindian art

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"Heroic gesture of the Bodhisattva", 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).

Serindian art is the art that developed from the 2nd through the 11th century A.D. in Serindia or Xinjiang, the western region of China that forms part of Central Asia.

It derives from the art of the Gandhara district of what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandharan sculpture combined Indian traditions with Greek and Roman influences. Greek-influenced culture was most probably in existence prior to Alexander the Great's invasions, but the empires founded by him and succeeded by his Generals were a major cultural force for centuries in the region.

Buddhist missionaries travelling on the Silk Road introduced this art, along with Buddhism itself, into Serindia, where it mixed with Chinese and Persian influences.

Serindian art was rediscovered through the expeditions of Sir Aurel Stein in Central Asia at the beginning of the 20th century.

Carved wooden beam in Hellenistic style, 3-4th century CE	Serindian group, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).	Head of a Serindian man, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).	Head of a Serindian female Bodhisattva, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).
Serindian head, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).	A Buddha statue from Tumshuq, Xinjiang. 5th century.

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[edit] References

Hopkirk, Peter (1980). Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 0-87023-435-8.