Pakistan, Gandhara, probably Butkara in Swat, Kushan period / 100s CE
Bracket with Two Musicians
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Bracket with Two Musicians as sculpture (Pakistan, Gandhara, probably Butkara in Swat, Kushan period · 100s CE).
The bearded man plays a lute-like instrument, while his companion holds a clapper-type percussion instrument similar to the kartal still used in parts of India today.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as schist.
The museum's collection notes: This vaulted bracket, with acanthus leaves on the side, is decorated with a musician-couple who stand on a lotus pedestal. Both figures wear heavily draped robes that consist of two garments: an outer one—like the classical Greek himation—and the inner one, ankle length on the male and floor length on the female. The man's head is covered with a cap or a hood, while the young woman wears her hair pulled into a chignon and decorated with a garland. She also wears heavy earrings. The bracket or corbel of this type, originally probably placed fairly high, seems to be a particularly appropriate component for being decorated with celestial, heaven
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBracket with Two MusiciansOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.