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From the interview with Prof. Joachim Karl Bautze much of which is shown in that section.

 

 

 

AG: What about the so-called Chandraketugarh Fakes?

 

JKB



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In his book, 

 EARLY INDIAN TERRACOTTAS ICONOGRAPHY OF RELIGIONS XIII, 17 (Leiden, 1995)

 

he also wrote, interestingly:

 



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Which is genuine?

 



 

In order to even start trying to answer this  question one needs to know that large Chandraketugarh terracottas often appear in near duplicate.

Not exact duplicate, but very much the same bar small details.

From the study of both the terracottas themselves and the moulds that have been found it is now known that an original die was used to make several moulds. However the moulds were then slightly changed by adding small details. Small  holes made would appear on the final terracotta as raised dots and incised lines would appear as such as folds in the clothing.

Here are some examples as shown on three individual teracottas above; all from different moulds derived from the same master die.

 



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Again here with these three there are small differences.

 




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As it so happens all three are genuine.

 

What about this piece which appeared on eBay?

 






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Enough to persuade one to pass on that terracotta I think!