Art and architecture in ancient India

 Art and architecture in ancient India

 

LITERATURE

VEDIC LITERATURE

The Rig Veda is the earliest literary work of India. It was composed in old or Vedic Sanskrit. The three other Vedas - Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda were written much later. Composed by sages, the Vedas were originally passed on orally from generation to generation. They were written down many centuries after they were first composed. Apart from the Vedas, Vedic literature also includes Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and the Upanishads.

The Puranas were Hindu religious stories about deities and even kings. They had been passed on orally earlier. They were compiled and written down in their present form during the Gupta period. The Puranas are believed to have been compiled by Vyasa.

 

EPICS

Epics are grand compositions which usually describe the lives of heroes or gods. The Mahabharata and Ramayana were important Sanskrit epics which were finally written down in the form we know them today during the Gupta period. The story of Mahabharata had been known for years, but was written down only 1500 years ago. The epic, said to have been compiled by Vyasa, describes the war between Kauravas and Pandavas. The story of the Bhagavad Gita, which formed the basis of the Bhakti movement, was made a part of Mahabharata. The Ramayana tells the story of King Rama of Ayodhya. It was compiled in Sanskrit by Valmiki.

 

JAIN AND BUDDHIST WORKS

Important Jain and Buddhist religious works from the period include the Angas, Digha Nikaya, and, Vinaya Pitaka. The Jatakas are collections of Buddhist stories which were committed to text in the post-Mauryan era. Jain texts were written in Prakrit. Buddhist texts were initially composed in Pali and later in Sanskrit.

 

WORKS IN TAMIL

The Sangam texts were important compositions in Tamil. Silappadikaram and Manimekalai were important Tamil epics, composed around 1800 and 1400 years ago, respectively. Silappadikaram was written by a poet called Ilango, while Manimekalai was composed by Sattanar. They both describe love stories. The central characters in these epics are a merchant named Kovalan and his daughter.

 

BOOKS ON SCIENCE AND MEDICINE

Many advances were made in the field of medicine due to the efforts of Charaka and Sushruta, who was a great surgeon in his time. Charaka wrote a book on medicine called Charakasamhita, while Sushruta wrote the Sushruta Samhiti. The works of astronomers and mathematicians such as Varahmihira and Aryabhatta reflect the advances in the field of science during the period.

 

Varahmihira wrote an encyclopaedia on science called Brihat Samhita. Aryabhatta wrote a famous Sanskrit work on astronomy called the Aryabhatiyam. It was in this book that he suggested an explanation for eclipses and what causes day and night. Aryabhatta is also credited for the advances in mathematics, such as the use of decimal system. The decimal system of

 

counting uses 10 digits, from 0 to 9. Its greatness lies in the principle of place value and in the use of zero. These two ideas make it easy to represent numbers and to perform mathematical operations that would be difficult with any other system. The system is believed to have been developed by Hindu mathematicians. Aryabhatta used the word 'kha' ('emptiness') to mark 'zero' in tabular arrangements of digits around AD 500. The Arabs who conquered parts of India later are believed to have learned the system from the Hindus. From the Arabs, the knowledge spread to the rest of the world. That is why the decimal system of counting in tens is also called the Hindu-Arabic system.

Aryabhatta also devised a formula for calculating the circumference of a circle.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT WORKS

Political works: Important secular works of ancient India include Kautilya's Arthashastra, Banabhatta's Harshacharita. They provide information about the Maurya and Gupta age, respectively. Panchatantra were collections of stories told by ordinary people. They were finally compiled in the post-Mauryan period.

 

Plays: Many famous plays were composed in Sanskrit in ancient India. Kalidasa, who is believed to have been a part of Chandragupta II's court, wrote well-known Sanskrit poems during the period such as Meghaduta, Raghuvamsha, and Kumarasambhava. His most famous work is a play called Abhijnana Shakuntalam. Other important playwrights from the Gupta period include Visakhadatta and Sudraka.

 

Works on grammar: Important works on Sanskrit grammar written in ancient India include Amarakosa, a dictionary of Sanskrit written by Amarasimha: Ashtadhyayi, Panini's famous work on grammar, and, Patanjali's Mahabhashya. Mahabhashya supplements Panini's rules on grammar.

 

Travellers' accounts: Many travellers who came to India wrote about the places they visited and the people they met. Megasthenes Indika is an important account of the Mauryan era. Among the most famous works in the post-Mauryan age is by an unknown Greek sailor, who came to India on a trading ship. Many Buddhist travellers such as Fa Hien, Xuan Zang, and I-Qing who came to India also wrote about their experiences.

 

 

 

ARCHITECTURE

STUPAS

Stupas began to be built in the subcontinent around 2300 years ago with the spread of Buddhism. These are dome-shaped structures, which usually contain relics of the Buddha or his followers. Such relics include:

 

·        remains such as teeth, bones, and ashes, and

·        things used by them during their lifetime.

 

The relics were usually placed in a small box which was buried in the ground and a dome-like structure was constructed above it. The boxes or relic caskets formed the heart of the stupa.

Many times, the stupa had a path around it. The path was called pradakshina patha. It allowed devotees to walk around the stupa as a mark of their devotion. The pradakshina patha was surrounded with carved railings of wood or stone. Devotees entered the paths through carved gateways, which usually depicted stories from the Buddha's life.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi and the Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath are among the more famous stupas of ancient India. The stupa at Sanchi was built over hundreds of years. Ashoka is believed to have constructed the mound of the stupa. Its railings and gateways were probably added by later rulers and even rich devotees one of the stupa's gateways was built by an association of ivory workers.

The stupa at Sarnath was built to mark the place where the Buddha first propagated his message. A beautiful stupa was also built in Amravati. It had beautiful carvings on stone, which were made around 2000 years ago. The Satvahanas are believed to have enlarged the stupa and added railings around it. Now, only ruins remain of the once magnificent słupa.

 

The Amravati stupa The Amravati stupa is believed to have fallen into ruin sometime after the 14" century AD. It was rediscovered by a British Army man, Colonel C. Mackenzie. In the 18" century AD, Mackenzie found local builders using beautifully carved slabs in Amravati and enquired about them. His enquiry led him to the ruins of the stupa. Excavations at the site revealed beautiful sculptures, many of which were taken away to museums in Britain and India. The few sculptures that remain have been preserved in a site museum at Amravati.

 

PILLARS

Many pillars built by ancient rulers still stand to this day. Ashoka often carved instructions or messages to his people on such pillars, the most important being the one in Sarnath. Another notable pillar from the Mauryan period is the one found in Rampurva, Bihar. The stone pillar, which has a stunning capital depicting a bull, has found a place in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Another fine example is the iron pillar in Mehrauli (Delhi), which is believed to have been built by the Guptas. The pillar has shown no signs of rusting to this day.

 

 

TEMPLES

As the Bhakti movement gathered steam, construction of temples with garbhagrihas and shikharas became common across the subcontinent. Garbhagrihas were rooms inside temples where the image of the central deity was placed. The priests performed prayers and devotees came to worship the deity in these rooms.

 

Usually, a tower (shikhara) was built on top of a garbhagriha to mark it out. Many temples also had assembly halls, called mandapas, for people. In north India, a number of such temples were constructed in brick and stone during the Gupta period. The most important among them are the temples at Bhitargaon (Uttar Pradesh), Sanchi, and Deogarh.

 

Starting with the Pallavas, rulers in the south evolved a new style of construction wherein a temple was carved from a single piece of stone. Such temples are known as monolithic temples. The seven rathas in Mahabalipuram are famous examples of such temples. Besides monolithic temples, the Pallavas also built structural temples, i.e., temples made of slabs of stone rather than a single rock. The Shore temple in Mahabalipuram is perhaps the most striking example of such architecture. The Chalukyas built several temples in Aihole, Badami, and Pattadakal.

 

CAVE TEMPLES AND SHELTERS

A number of chaityas (cave temples) and viharas (monasteries for Buddhist monks and nuns) were constructed during this period. Many of them were carved out of hills or rock surfaces. Many chaityas and viharas dating back to the Ashokan period have been found at Barabar and Nagarjuni caves near Gaya in Bihar. A chaitya has also been discovered in Karle, Maharashtra. It has an enormous meeting hall with ornate pillars. Viharas have been found in Udayagiri, Orissa(now Odisha), where monks and nuns meditated and lived. The cave complex in Ajanta, Maharashtra, houses both chaityas and viharas. It came up over hundreds of centuries. It has elaborate sculptures and paintings.

 

ART

SCULPTURE

The Harappans made figurines and sculptures of both humans and animals. Prominent among them are the bronze statue of a 'dancing girl', a young bull, a dancer standing on one leg, and the stone sculpture of a bearded man. Later on, the art of sculpture seems to have flourished from the Maurya period onwards. Pillars constructed during the Maurya rule have beautiful sculptures. Many stunning larger-than-life sculptures of the Buddha were created during the Kushana and Gupta periods. The most famous sculptures created under the Gupta kings are the images of the Buddha and Boddhisattavas at Sarnath. Two prominent schools of art-Mathura and Gandhara - thrived under the patronage of the Jains and the Kushanas. Many Buddhist images were made by sculptors from these schools.

 

The Gandhara school of art flourished between the 1" century BC and 5th century AD. It developed as Indian craftsmen came in contact with the Greeks and the Romans. The subjects of Gandhara art, also known as Graeco Buddhist art, were mostly Buddhist. But their style was Roman. The statues of Buddha made in this tradition are not adorned by ornaments. Peshawar and Taxila were the chief centres of the Gandhara school. The Mathura school of art is said to have originated around the end of the 1" century BC. It developed under the patronage of the Jains, and later Kanishka. Mathura artists mostly used red sandstone to make sculptures and statues in the Indian tradition. A huge headless statue of Kanishka made in this style has been found in Mathura. Images of Buddha made in this tradition appear fatter and happier.

 

In the south, sculptors enjoyed the patronage of the Pallavas and the Chalukyas. The temple of Kailashnatha at Kanchipuram has sculptures of many Hindu deities. The rathas in Mahabalipuram also have beautiful sculptures. The first image of the Buddha is believed to have been made by crafts persons in Mathura.

 

PAINTING

Cave paintings date back to the earliest stages of human occupation of the Indian subcontinent. Among the paintings of ancient India, the paintings in Ajanta caves hold an important place. These murals. The colours used in the paintings were extracted from plants and minerals. Some of the most stunning Ajanta paintings belong to the Gupta period. They depict the Buddha and the Boddhisattavas in vivid detail. Some of the paintings even depict stories from the Jatakas. paintings are also called Paintings in Ajanta caves

 

New Terms Relics: Comprise bodily remains or items used by a person during his lifetime. Pradakshina Patha: Path around a stupa for devotees to walk on; usually surrounded with carved railings of wood or stone. Garbhagriha: Room inside a temple where the image of the central deity is kept. Shikhara: Tower built on top of a garbhagriha to point to its location. Mandapa: An assembly hall in a temple where people could gather. Artificial Caves: Caves carved out of hills or rock surfaces; used for prayer or sheltering monks and nuns. Monolithic temple: Temple carved from a single piece of stone. Stupas began to be built in the subcontinent around 2300 years ago with the spread of Buddhism. The Great Stupa at Sanchi and the Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath are famous examples.

1. Which is the earliest literary work of India?

A) Sama Veda

B) Yajur Veda

C) Rig Veda

D) Atharva Veda

Answer: C) Rig Veda

 

2. In which language was the Rig Veda composed?

A) Classical Sanskrit

B) Vedic Sanskrit

C) Pali

D) Prakrit

Answer: B) Vedic Sanskrit

 

3. Who is traditionally credited with compiling the Puranas?

A) Valmiki

B) Vyasa

C) Kalidasa

D) Patanjali

Answer: B) Vyasa

 

4. Which of the following is NOT a part of Vedic literature?

A) Brahmanas

B) Aranyakas

C) Upanishads

D) Panchatantra

Answer: D) Panchatantra

 

5. The Mahabharata was compiled by which sage?

A) Valmiki

B) Kalidasa

C) Vyasa

D) Charaka

Answer: C) Vyasa

 

6. The Ramayana, which tells the story of King Rama, was compiled by?

A) Kalidasa

B) Vyasa

C) Ilango

D) Valmiki

Answer: D) Valmiki

 

7. Which part of the Mahabharata formed the basis of the Bhakti movement?

A) Aranyakas

B) Bhagavad Gita

C) Rig Veda

D) Upanishads

Answer: B) Bhagavad Gita

 

8. The Jataka stories are associated with which religion?

A) Hinduism

B) Jainism

C) Buddhism

D) Sikhism

Answer: C) Buddhism

 

9. Jain texts were primarily written in which language?

A) Pali

B) Prakrit

C) Sanskrit

D) Tamil

Answer: B) Prakrit

 

10. Which two Tamil epics were composed around 1800 and 1400 years ago?

A) Mahabharata and Ramayana

B) Silappadikaram and Manimekalai

C) Digha Nikaya and Vinaya Pitaka

D) Panchatantra and Arthashastra

Answer: B) Silappadikaram and Manimekalai

 

11. Who wrote the Tamil epic Silappadikaram?

A) Sattanar

B) Ilango

C) Vyasa

D) Kalidasa

Answer: B) Ilango

 

12. The Charakasamhita is a famous work in the field of?

A) Astronomy

B) Medicine

C) Mathematics

D) Literature

Answer: B) Medicine

 

13. Aryabhatta is credited with the development of which mathematical concept?

A) Algebra

B) Geometry

C) Zero

D) Calculus

Answer: C) Zero

 

14. Which of the following works is an encyclopaedia on science written by Varahmihira?

A) Aryabhatiyam

B) Brihat Samhita

C) Charakasamhita

D) Arthashastra

Answer: B) Brihat Samhita

 

15. Who wrote the famous political treatise Arthashastra?

A) Kautilya (Chanakya)

B) Aryabhatta

C) Kalidasa

D) Varahmihira

Answer: A) Kautilya (Chanakya)

 

16. Which of the following is a dictionary of Sanskrit written by Amarasimha?

A) Amarakosa

B) Ashtadhyayi

C) Mahabhashya

D) Indika

Answer: A) Amarakosa

 

17. Panini’s famous work on Sanskrit grammar is called?

A) Amarakosa

B) Mahabhashya

C) Ashtadhyayi

D) Arthashastra

Answer: C) Ashtadhyayi

 

18. Megasthenes wrote which important account of the Mauryan era?

A) Arthashastra

B) Indika

C) Brihat Samhita

D) Vinaya Pitaka

Answer: B) Indika

 

19. Which period saw the compilation of the Puranas in their present form?

A) Mauryan Period

B) Post-Mauryan Period

C) Gupta Period

D) Sangam Period

Answer: C) Gupta Period

 

20. Fa Hien, who visited India and wrote about it, was a traveler from which country?

A) China

B) Greece

C) Persia

D) Arabia

Answer: A) China

 

21. Which Tamil epic was composed by Sattanar?

A) Silappadikaram

B) Manimekalai

C) Ramayana

D) Jataka

Answer: B) Manimekalai

 

22. What is a key feature of a stupa, representing its religious significance?

A) Mandapa

B) Garbhagriha

C) Relic casket

D) Shikhara

Answer: C) Relic casket

 

23. What is the purpose of the pradakshina patha in stupas?

A) A place for devotees to sit and pray

B) A circumambulatory path for devotional walking

C) A gateway into the stupa

D) A carved relief to depict stories of the Buddha

Answer: B) A circumambulatory path for devotional walking

 

24. Which Mauryan ruler is believed to have originally constructed the mound of the Great Stupa at Sanchi?

A) Chandragupta

B) Bindusara

C) Ashoka

D) Kanishka

Answer: C) Ashoka

 

25.The Amravati stupa is associated with which dynasty’s contribution to enlarging it?

A) Mauryan

B) Satavahana

C) Pallava

D) Chalukya

Answer: B) Satavahana

 

26. Which British officer is credited with rediscovering the ruins of the Amravati Stupa in the 18th century?

A) Lord Curzon

B) James Prinsep

C) Sir William Jones

D) Colonel C. Mackenzie

Answer: D) Colonel C. Mackenzie

 

27. The most famous pillar built by Ashoka is located at which site?

A) Rampurva

B) Sarnath

C) Mehrauli

D) Udayagiri

Answer: B) Sarnath

 

28. The stone pillar with a stunning bull capital, found in Rampurva, Bihar, is now housed in which location?

A) Rashtrapati Bhavan

B) National Museum, Delhi

C) Sanchi Museum

D) Ajanta Caves

Answer: A) Rashtrapati Bhavan

 

29. Which of the following ancient Indian pillars is notable for being made of iron and showing no signs of rust to this day?

A) Ashoka's Sarnath Pillar

B) Rampurva Pillar

C) Mehrauli Pillar

D) Karle Pillar

Answer: C) Mehrauli Pillar

 

30. In the context of temple architecture, what is the "garbhagriha"?

A) The assembly hall for devotees

B) The main tower or spire of the temple

C) The sanctum where the deity’s image is placed

D) A pathway around the temple for devotees

Answer: C) The sanctum where the deity’s image is placed

 

31. The "shikhara" in Hindu temple architecture refers to what feature?

A) The inner sanctum of the temple

B) The gateway to the temple complex

C) The assembly hall for gatherings

D) The tower built above the garbhagriha

Answer: D) The tower built above the garbhagriha

 

32. Which Gupta-period temple is known for being constructed using brick?

A) Bhitargaon Temple

B) Sanchi Temple

C) Deogarh Temple

D) Shore Temple

Answer: A) Bhitargaon Temple

 

33. Monolithic temples, carved from a single rock, were first developed by which dynasty?

A) Gupta

B) Satavahana

C) Pallava

D) Chalukya

Answer: C) Pallava

 

34. The seven "rathas" at Mahabalipuram are examples of what type of temple construction?

A) Brick temples

B) Structural temples

C) Monolithic temples

D) Cave temples

Answer: C) Monolithic temples

 

35. Which architectural feature distinguishes the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram?

A) It is a rock-cut cave temple

B) It is carved from a single piece of stone

C) It is a structural temple made of stone slabs

D) It has a bronze spire

Answer: C) It is a structural temple made of stone slabs

 

36. The Ajanta Caves are primarily known for housing which of the following structures?

A) Stupas and monasteries

B) Rathas and temples

C) Chaityas and viharas

D) Pillars and obelisks

Answer: C) Chaityas and viharas

 

37.Which region houses a cave temple complex that includes the famous "chaitya" with ornate pillars?

A) Ajanta

B) Udayagiri

C) Karle

D) Barabar

Answer: C) Karle

 

38. The cave temples at Udayagiri were primarily used for which purpose?

A) Worship of Hindu deities

B) Meditation and living quarters for Buddhist monks and nuns

C) A place to house relics of saints

D) Decorative display of ancient art

Answer: B) Meditation and living quarters for Buddhist monks and nuns

 

39. Which of the following sites is famous for its cave shelters dating back to the Ashokan period?

A) Ajanta

B) Ellora

C) Barabar

D) Elephanta

Answer: C) Barabar

 

40.The temple at Deogarh, built during the Gupta period, is significant for its?

A) Use of brick construction

B) Connection to early Buddhism

C) Carved monolithic structures

D) Use of iron in its construction

Answer: A) Use of brick construction

 

41. Which architectural style, featuring assembly halls (mandapas), became prominent with the rise of the Bhakti movement?

A) Vihara style

B) Chaitya style

C) Cave temple style

D) Temple style with garbhagriha and shikhara

Answer: D) Temple style with garbhagriha and shikhara

 

42. The "Satvahanas" are believed to have contributed to the enlargement of which famous stupa?

A) The Great Stupa at Sanchi

B) The Amravati Stupa

C) The Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath

D) The Stupa at Karle

Answer: B) The Amravati Stupa

 

43. Which famous structure is thought to have been constructed by the Guptas and still stands without rusting?

A) Mehrauli Iron Pillar

B) Sarnath Ashoka Pillar

C) Bhitargaon Temple

D) Shore Temple

Answer: A) Mehrauli Iron Pillar

 

44. The seven rathas in Mahabalipuram, famous for their monolithic architecture, were built by which dynasty?

A) Gupta

B) Pallava

C) Chola

D) Maurya

Answer: B) Pallava

 

45. Which Mauryan ruler used pillars to convey messages to his people, especially the one at Sarnath?

A) Chandragupta

B) Bindusara

C) Ashoka

D) Samudragupta

Answer: C) Ashoka

 

46. Which ancient site houses a chaitya that features an enormous meeting hall with intricately carved pillars?

A) Ajanta

B) Karle

C) Udayagiri

D) Barabar

Answer: B) Karle

 

47. Which of the following sculptures is associated with the Harappan civilization?

A) Seated Buddha

B) Dancing Girl

C) Headless Kanishka

D) Ashokan Lion Capital

Answer: B) Dancing Girl

 

48.The Gandhara School of Art is known for combining Indian and which other artistic styles?

A) Chinese and Roman

B) Greek and Roman

C) Persian and Greek

D) Egyptian and Chinese

Answer: B) Greek and Roman

 

49. What is a notable characteristic of Buddha statues made in the Gandhara School of Art?

A) They are highly ornamented

B) They appear smiling and happy

C) They are adorned with Roman-style drapery

D) They are sculpted from red sandstone

Answer: C) They are adorned with Roman-style drapery

 

50. Which two cities were the chief centers of the Gandhara School of Art?

A) Mathura and Kanchipuram

B) Ajanta and Ellora

C) Peshawar and Taxila

D) Sanchi and Sarnath

Answer: C) Peshawar and Taxila

 

51. The Mathura School of Art primarily used which material to create sculptures?

A) White marble

B) Red sandstone

C) Granite

D) Bronze

Answer: B) Red sandstone

 

52. The headless statue of Kanishka was created under which school of art?

A) Ajanta School

B) Mathura School

C) Gandhara School

D) Pallava School

Answer: B) Mathura School

 

53. The first image of the Buddha is believed to have been created by craftsmen from which school of art?

A) Gandhara

B) Ajanta

C) Mathura

D) Chola

Answer: C) Mathura

 

54. Which dynasty is associated with patronizing the creation of larger-than-life sculptures of Buddha during their reign?

A) Maurya

B) Gupta

C) Pallava

D) Kushana

Answer: D) Kushana

 

55. Which site is renowned for its elaborate cave paintings depicting the Buddha and the Jataka tales?

A) Elephanta Caves

B) Karle Caves

C) Ajanta Caves

D) Badami Caves

Answer: C) Ajanta Caves

 

56. What was the primary source of colors used in the Ajanta cave paintings?

A) Chemical dyes

B) Plant extracts and minerals

C) Animal pigments

D) Metal-based paints

Answer: B) Plant extracts and minerals

 

57. The Gandhara School of Art is also known as:

A) Indo-Roman Art

B) Graeco-Buddhist Art

C) Indo-Persian Art

D) Kushana-Buddhist Art

Answer: B) Graeco-Buddhist Art

 

58. In which period did the most famous sculptures of Buddha and Bodhisattvas at Sarnath originate?

A) Mauryan period

B) Gupta period

C) Pallava period

D) Kushana period

Answer: B) Gupta period

 

59. Which school of art was primarily influenced by Jainism and later by Kanishka’s rule?

A) Gandhara

B) Chola

C) Mathura

D) Pala

Answer: C) Mathura

 

60. What distinguishes the sculptures made under the Mathura School of Art from those made in the Gandhara School?

A) Mathura sculptures depict the Buddha with Roman features

B) Mathura sculptures use white marble instead of sandstone

C) Mathura sculptures show the Buddha as fatter and happier

D) Mathura sculptures are adorned with Persian ornamentation

Answer: C) Mathura sculptures show the Buddha as fatter and happier

 

61. The rathas in Mahabalipuram, known for their beautiful sculptures, were built during the reign of which dynasty?

A) Pallava

B) Gupta

C) Chalukya

D) Chola

Answer: A) Pallava

 

62. The temple of Kailashnatha at Kanchipuram is famous for its sculptures of which religion’s deities?

A) Buddhist

B) Jain

C) Hindu

D) Persian

Answer: C) Hindu

 

63. Who rediscovered the Ajanta Caves in the early 19th century?

A) James Prinsep

B) Colonel Mackenzie

C) John Marshall

D) British soldiers

Answer: D) British soldiers

 

64. The images of Bodhisattvas at Ajanta were painted during which historical period?

A) Mauryan

B) Gupta

C) Chalukya

D) Satavahana

Answer: B) Gupta

 

65. Which of the following describes the Mathura School's sculptures of Buddha?

A) Slender and adorned with jewelry

B) Heavily ornamented with Greco-Roman influence

C) Fatter and cheerful in appearance

D) Carved out of marble with minimal expression

Answer: C) Fatter and cheerful in appearance