166 linrothe
may be accounted for by the artist of the colossal sculpture considering both
the size and the inevitable distance from the viewer. The bodhisattva from
Kashmir (fig. 5.10) also provides comparable examples of the medallion found
on the belt of the Kartsé figure: the earrings of the Buddha and the necklace
of the Avalokiteśvara are relatable. Fontein was unable to see the crown care-
fully because of shade and angle of view, and was uncertain of the presence of
a stūpa in the headdress.35 It is now possible to confirm that it is not included
(fig. 5.9).
The knees are scored around a circular swelling (fig. 5.6), something that
Fontein asserts is “not common in the art of Kashmir,” while suggesting a paral-
lel with a ninth century metal sculpture from the Chamba Valley in Himachal
Pradesh, South of Zangskar.36 In fact, however, one can find examples of similar
treatment of kneecaps on sculptures at the Mārtāṇḍa Sūrya Temple, (fig. 5.11).
Although there is some damage around the knees on the ninth-century “royal
donor figures” from Avantisvāmin (fig. 5.4), the king appears to have been
created with a similar convention. The Mārtāṇḍa figure also has a few other
features visible in the Kartsé sculpture. First is the similar treatment of the
35 Fontein, “Rock Sculpture,” 6.
36 Fontein, “Rock Sculpture,” 7.
Figure 5.9
Detail of fig. 5.6
Photo: Rob Linrothe, 2010.