Stucco Sculptures
The technique of creating sculptures by moulding plaster was introduced to Gandhara from the West, mostly by the Sakas or the Parthians. The earliest example of figures made in stucco, or lime plaster at Taxila, are sculptures which decorated two small stupas at the site of Sirkap. The stucco, from which these Gandhara sculptures were made, was composed of lime mixed with small broken stones, as well as organic materials such as chopped straw and animal hair. The sculptures were then crafted either with moulds or modelled by hand and were often gilded with gold and painted in red ochre, black and blue colours.
During this period, stucco was not only used in place of stone but it also replaced clay. The growing popularity of stucco among the Indo-Afghan sculptors owed to the ease in handling the material, for unlike stone, stucco could easily be modelled or moulded into complex sculptural forms. Stucco also provided sculptors with a medium of greater plasticity which allowed for a greater degree of expressiveness in Gandhara Art. Additionally economic factors also accounted for the rising popularity of this material: by the 5th century CE, there was a growing demand for images, for votive purposes as well as for adorning stupas and chapels. Stucco was a vital and cost-effective material for rapidly executing these images in bulk. Another reason for the freer use of stucco in this period was the lack of availability of stone. At Taxila, the only kinds of stone available were hard limestone and soft, porous kanjur, which were difficult to carve into statues and were not available to meet the extensive demand.
