Indus Valley Civilization - Art and Craft

The Indus Valley Civilization had developed skills in pottery, painting and sculpture amongst others. Sculpture appeared to have made great advancements based on the various artifacts that have been found. The Indus Valley Civilization made sculptures mainly in stone, metal and terra-cotta. The famous bust of the bearded man, and the male torso are examples of such work. The Indus Valley Civilization had also made great advances in metal sculptures using a fascinating technique to make sculptures out of bronze. The process was known as the lost wax process. In this process the sculptures were first made out of wax. A layer of clay was then put over this wax, and the sculpture was then heated. This resulted in the melting of the wax, leaving behind a hollow mould. Molten metal was then poured into this mould. After cooling the clay was removed, and a metal sculpture remained. A beautiful example of such work, is the naked dancing girl found at Mohenjo-Daro. She is covered with jewellery, wearing several necklaces and bangles. Bronze figures of buffalos and the humped bull have also been found. The Indus Valley Civilization also made several sculptures out of terra-cotta, a

fine example being a figure of the Mother Goddess. It shows the Mother Goddess as a mark of fertility and prosperity. The Indus Valley Civilization had also developed skills in pottery and painting. They used a special type of clay, which was baked. Once the pot was made, the painters would paint beautiful designs, the theme being birds, animals and men. The quality of

painting on these pots show that the Indus Valley Civilization had some talented artists.

The Indus Valley Civilization is famous for the enigmatic seals that were discovered at the various cities. These seals usually had some animal or human engraved on them along with a script at the bottom which has not been deciphered as yet. The seals were apparently used by merchants in trade, as a means of identifying their goods. The Indus Valley Civilization had flourishing trade relations with various parts of Asia, and the large number of unique seals discovered indicates that there was a large trading community. Some of the important seals, which had been found frequently are:

The Pashupati Seal: This seal depicts what is probably the modern Hindu God, Shiv. Lord Shiv is surrounded by various animals like the rhino, the buffalo, the elephant and the

tiger. He wears a crown of horns on his head. He is believed to have been considered by the Indus Valley Civilization people as the lord of the animals.

The Unicorn Seal: This is based on a fictional animal that the Indus Valley Civilization people had conjured up. It is an example of early fictional art.

The Bull Seal: The Bull seal, shows a humped bull displaying a strong and energetic bull. The figure has been made well, a proof of the fine artistic skills acquired by the people of that time.

The Indus Valley Civilization had developed skills in pottery, painting and sculpture amongst others. Sculpture appeared to have made great advancements based on the various artifacts that have been found. The Indus Valley Civilization made sculptures mainly in stone, metal and terra-cotta. The famous bust of the bearded man, and the male torso are examples of such work. The Indus Valley Civilization had also made great advances in metal sculptures using a fascinating technique to make sculptures out of bronze. The process was known as the lost wax process. In this process the sculptures were first made out of wax. A layer of clay was then put over this wax, and the sculpture was then heated. This resulted in the melting of the wax, leaving behind a hollow mould. Molten metal was then poured into this mould. After cooling the clay was removed, and a metal sculpture remained. A beautiful example of such work, is the naked dancing girl found at Mohenjo-Daro. She is covered with jewellery, wearing several necklaces and bangles. Bronze figures of buffalos and the humped bull have also been found. The Indus Valley Civilization also made several sculptures out of terra-cotta, a fine example being a figure of the Mother Goddess. It shows the Mother Goddess as a mark of fertility and prosperity. The Indus Valley Civilization had also developed skills in pottery and painting. They used a special type of clay, which was baked. Once the pot was made, the painters would paint beautiful designs, the theme being birds, animals and men. The quality of

painting on these pots show that the Indus Valley Civilization had some talented artists.

The Indus Valley Civilization is famous for the enigmatic seals that were discovered at the various cities. These seals usually had some animal or human engraved on them along with a script at the bottom which has not been deciphered as yet. The seals were apparently used by merchants in trade, as a means of identifying their goods. The Indus Valley Civilization had flourishing trade relations with various parts of Asia, and the large number of unique seals discovered indicates that there was a large trading community. Some of the important seals, which had been found frequently are:

The Pashupati Seal: This seal depicts what is probably the modern Hindu God, Shiv. Lord Shiv is surrounded by various animals like the rhino, the buffalo, the elephant and the

tiger. He wears a crown of horns on his head. He is believed to have been considered by the Indus Valley Civilization people as the lord of the animals.

The Unicorn Seal: This is based on a fictional animal that the Indus Valley Civilization people had conjured up. It is an example of early fictional art.

The Bull Seal: The Bull seal, shows a humped bull displaying a strong and energetic bull. The figure has been made well, a proof of the fine artistic skills acquired by the people of that time.