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Section of a Coping Rail
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
A coping rail is the top portion of a fence that connects the upright posts. Here, an undulating lotus rhizome blossoms with jewelry, and in the spaces between are scenes from two of the Buddha's past lives. At the left, a man catches and kills a lizard to eat it, and then lies about its running off ( Godha Jataka ); at the right an ascetic performs a Vedic fire sacrifice (possibly the Rajovada Jataka ).
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSection of a Coping Rail, c. 150 BCE. India, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut, Shunga period. Sandstone; overall: 30.5 x 122 cm (12 x 48 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin, 1972.366
