Photo 1002/22(1102)

This is one of a series of photographs taken for Cole at Mardan by Serrot, and not, as Bloch's list states, by Cole himself. Reproduced in photogravure in Illustrations of Graeco-Buddhist sculptures from the Yusufzai District, in vol. I of H.H. Cole, Preservation of monuments in India (c. 1885), pl. 23: 'The sculpture here represented is part of a niche or chapel. A king and queen are seated at a small table engaged in gambling. The queen is seated on a stool with her feet on a foot-stool. The king is on a throne, his feet also on a foot-stool. The right arms of both are on the table. The left arm of the queen is uplifted as if throwing dice. In the background are two female attendants with chaoris. The king has a jewelled plume in front of his turban. General Cunningham describes the upper part of the niche as containing Buddha's alms-bowl under an umbrella as an object of worship.' Bloch gives the location as Nuttu, Cole (in the above work) gives Mian Khan. However, Cole himself also gives Nuttu as the location in the sketch copied from this photograph in his Memorandum on ancient monuments in Eusofzai, with a description of the explorations undertaken from the 4th February to the 16th April 1883, and suggestions for the disposal of the sculptures (Simla, 1883), p. 25.

Subjects = archaeological excavations; archaeological sites; Archaeological Survey of India Collections; Archaeological Survey of India Collections (Indian Museum Series); archaeology; Buddha images; Gandharan art; Indian sculpture; Indian sculpture (Buddhist); museum objects

Location = North-West Frontier Province; Nuttu; Pakistan