Kulu Vase
| Kulu Vase | |
|---|---|
 Kulu Vase as displayed in the British Museum | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Size | Height 15 cm |
| Created | 1st century BC |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Registration | 1880.22 |
The Kulu Vase is the name of an ancient Buddhist
Discovery
Although originally thought to come from
Description
The Kulu Vase is spherical in shape with a high neck and wide rim which is partly damaged. The frieze on the vase illustrates a courtly figure or monarch who heads a chariot procession. Bestriding a chariot pulled by four horses, he is closely followed by a line of cavalry and another royal personage riding an elephant. At the end of the procession two female musicians are playing a flute and harp. The neck of the vase is decorated with a range of different patterns including chevrons and parallel lines. Without any inscriptions or local context to the find, it is difficult to determine the significance and meaning of the characters and ceremony portrayed on the vase.
Gallery
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Detail of the Kulu Vase showing the chariot drawn by four horses -
Detail of the Kulu Vase showing the royal dignitary flanked by two female attendants
Further reading
- E A Knox, Enlightening the Kulu Vase: a tour through peninsular enlightenment iconography in the early Buddhist period
- V Elisseeff (editor), The Silk Roads: Highways of Culture and Commerce
