Three 3D models of Gandharan sculptures have been created from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Research Collections (CRC), and made available on Sketchfab under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

The first model, a fragment of carved grey schist showing the head of Buddha in relief (circa 1st-2nd Century) was created by the CRC’s Digital Imaging Unit during a photogrammetry training session with Clara Molina Sanchez, a Digital Heritage specialist with a professional background in Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The training covered different ways to capture the photos, how to include targets to accurately scale and join ‘chunks’, and how to process in Agisoft PhotoScan. The Gandharan sculpture being the most successful model created on the day. 

Later, when some funding became available, Clara returned to make some more models for the CRC. Curators suggested items that they would find useful to have 3D models of and gave guidance on the sort of items that worked best. Among those created included two more Gandharan sculptures, a tiered frieze of grey schist fragment with four attendant figures, and a fragment of carved grey schist showing a seated Buddha in meditation pose (both circa 1st-2nd Century).

The three Gandharan sculptures are the first ones the CRC have uploaded into Sketchfab, and they hope to add another of a guitar in the near future. 

Centre for Research Collections: Gandharan
by The University of Edinburgh Open.Ed
on Sketchfab

 

Click here for the 3D Models of Gandaharan Sculptures on Sketchfab

 

Image: Screenshot of the ‘Centre for Research Collections: Gandahara’ models on Sketchfab. CC BY 4.0