Eloquent Earth : Early Terracottas in the State Archaeological Museum, West Bengal

Contents: 1. Preface. 2. Acknowledgement. 3. Early terracottas of West Bengal: an introduction. 4. Catalogue: I. Divine and semidivine: i. Mother Goddess. ii. Sri Laksmi. iii. Lady with Hairpins. iv. Ganas, Yaksas and Nagas. v. Male and female figurines with different attributes. II. Mithuna Plaques. III. Animal riders. IV. Plaques with narrative content. V. Plaques and figurines of animals. VI. Miscellaneous. 5. Inventory of Terracotta. 6. Glossary. 7. Bibliography.

"Terracotta plaques and figurines are known from the later part of the 19 century from a number of archaeological sites of West Bengal. Sites like Pandu Rajar Dhibi, Chandraketugarh, Tamluk, Harinarayanpur, or Panna evoke memories of a vibrant artistic tradition that goes back to the Second Millennium B.C. and remained active till the 6 Century A.D.

The State Archaeological Museum, West Bengal is one of the most important repositories of early Bengal Terracottas. Though largely unknown to the connoisseurs of Indian Art, the collection is accessible to the small community of museum professionals.

This volume brings together for the first time all the available information with sensitive black and white illustration of these early Bengal Terracottas.

This is an important addition to the existing literature on early Indian Art." (jacket)