The Origin Of The"Winged Angels"on Miran Buddhist Temples’ Frescos

The frescos of "Bearing the Garland" in M.V Buddhist Temple of Miran was the direct origin of the "Winged Angels" which were excavated in and nearby the M.III Buddhist Temple. In this process of evolution from the former to the later, the "Winged Angels" from M.V Buddhist Temple played a transitional role as the earlier style of such images, and the "Winged Angels" which from the M.Ⅲ Buddhist Temple or nearby were the results of the further simplify and abstract under the stylized tendency. The composition of "Bearing the Garland" frescos from Miran regarded the "Garland and Erote/Amorini" Sculptures in Gandhara Art as the direct imitative objects, not only referred to the related "Mother Parents" of each period from Gandhara Art in dealing the images, but also took examples from the Ancient Greek-Roman Art. This "Multivariant Exchanges" were on the background of some related history, such as the smooth flow of the whole Silk Road between East and West, the frequent Cultural Exchanges of Sino-Indian etc., so that the Frescos of Miran not only have the heritages of Gandhara, but also express some features of Ancient Geek-Roman Art and Miran’s native characteristics to a certain extent. The "Winged Figure" images at the earliest may be traced back to the Ancient West-Asia and Mesopotamia Art, also inherited by Ancient Greek-Roman Art. Such winged figures were always related to the "Erote/Amorini", and later connected with the "Rolling Garland" image which had been used on the sculptures of Roman sarcophagi. The images of "Winged Children Bearing the Garland" on this kind of sarcophagi had been the Western "Mother Parents" of the "Garland and Erote/Amorini" Sculptures in Gandhara Art, and combined with the early artistic traditions of India, also integrated into the local Buddhist Art, in order to represent the "Satisfied Lotus Vine", besides had influences on the mode of composition and decorative motifs of Miran’s "Bearing the Garland" frescos straightly, even to the "Winged angels". The emergence of the "Garland and Erote/Amorini" Sculptures in Gandhara Art one side dues to the wide-spread cult of Dionysus and the Early Indian Buddhist Art of Bharhut and Sanchi etc., on the other side stimulated the further development of Indian Native Art, also produced effects on the specific expressions of Amaravati Art and Mathura Art.