The two main sources of our knowledge of ancient Buddhist art will always remain the monuments of Gandhāra, and the cave dwellings of Buddhist monks in Ajantā and other places. The former bear witness to the extraordinary influence of Greek art on Buddhism; and the latter are rich in wonderful fresco paintings of the classical period of Buddhist art. A description of all the caves as well as a selection of the best mural paintings in colored pictures are to be found in Griffith's elegant work The Paintings in the Buddhist Cave Temples of Ajanta[1] and some reproductions from it have been made further accessible in Dr. Carus's Portfolio of Buddhist Art.[2] The two great expositions in Munich, "Japan and Eastern Asia in Art" and "Expositions of the Masterpieces of Mohammedan Art," 1910, were very instructive to me from the point of view of art history, containing invaluable material conveniently arranged from the great museums, royal treasures and private collections from London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St Petersburg, Moscow, and Cairo. In the former the great wave of the marvelous Buddhist faith which had been flowing towards China for two millenniums and which had brought new life from China to Japan was evidenced in many rare pieces. Yet almost more fruitful for my purpose was the exposition of Mohammedan art. It displayed wonderful Persian and Indian book-making and Jacquer work, tapestries, ceramics, fabrics, armor and metal work. To be sure these were exclusively of Mohammedan manufacture, but many large museums and institutions (native and foreign), collectors
- ↑ Two volumes, 1896, Published by order of the Secretary of State for India in Council.
- ↑ Chicago, Open Court Publishing Company.
During the time of printing "The Gospel of Buddha" the following valuable works on Indian art have come under my notice:
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy: The Arts and Crafts of India and Ceylon.
E..B. Havell: The Ideals of Indian Art; Indian Sculpture and Painting.
Dr. Curt Glaser: Die Kunat Ost-Asiens (Leipzig, Insel-Verlag),
