Art of Indus Valley Civilization
The arts of the Indus Valley Civilisation emerged during the second half of the third millennium BCE. The forms of Art found from various sites of the civilisation include sculptures, seals, pottery, jewellery, terracotta figures, etc.
Contents
Stone Statues
The Statues whether in stone, bronze or terracotta found in Harappan sites are not abundant, but refined. The stone statuaries found at Harappa and Mohenjo daro are excellent examples of handling three-dimensional volumes.
Bronze casting
The bronze statues found in Harappa were made by the technique called Lost Wax technique. This technique is used in some parts of the country even today showing continuity of traditions. This technique was popular in almost all the sites. First, wax figures were made and then covered with clay. The clay as allowed to dry and then the figure was heated to melt the wax.
Terracotta
Terracotta images were also created but they were less refined as compared to the stone statues. Most important terracotta images are those of the mother goddess. Male figures are also found with similar features and positioning in all the figures indicating perhaps the image of a god.
Seals
Thousands of seals have been discovered in Indus Valley Civilisation. They were mostly made of steatite (a kind of soft stone). Some seals were also made using chert, agate, copper, terracotta, faience, gold and ivory. Standard Harappan seals were square plaques with 2X2 dimension.
Pottery
A lot of pottery has been excavated in this civilisation. Plain and painted pottery are found – plain is more common. Plain potteries are generally made of red clay, with or without a fine red or grey slip. The Black painted pottery has a fine coating of red slip with painted geometric and animal designs.
Beads and ornaments
A variety of ornaments have been found which were used by both men and women. These are made from precious metals, gemstones, bone and baked clay. Ornaments worn by men and women: fillets, necklaces, finger-rings, armlets. Ornaments worn by women: earrings, girdles, anklets.