Serindian art is the art that developed from the 2nd through the 11th century A.D. in Serindia or Xinjiang, the western region of China that forms part of Central Asia.

It derives from the art of the Gandhara district of what is now Afghanistan andPakistan. Gandharan sculpture combined Indian traditions with Greek and Roman influences. It derives its name from the Afghan city and region Kandahar. Even today someone from Kandahar can be called Gandahari. Greek-influenced culture was most probably in existance prior to Alexander the Great's invasions, but the empires founded by him and succeeded by his General were a major cultural force for centuries in the region.

Buddhist missionaries travelling on the Silk Road introduced this art, along with Buddhism itself, into Serindia, where it mixed with Chinese and Persian influences.

Serindian group, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).

Head of a Serindian man, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).

Head of a Serindian female Bodhisattva, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).

Serindian head, 6th-7th century terracotta, Tumshuq (Xinjiang).

See also

Buddhist art
Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

Reference

• Hopkirk, Peter (1980). Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 0-87023-435-8.