The Global Connections of Gandharan Art

Abstract

A general overview of how Gandharan art and its study has spread, been received and interpreted. This includes such issues as: the perceived connections of the Classical element with Alexander of Macedon and its consequent affect on the British in India; the question whether Gandharan art returned west to influence Roman art; Gandhara in the Islamic sources and its transformation into a poetic metaphor; the influence of Gandharan art in early Islamic architecture; Gandharan art in ancient China and Neo-Classical architecture in contemporary China; the question of cultural appropriation and identity.