Model Figure
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figure is one of many such clay models made in India in the 19th century. They were intended to represent different Indian occupations or caste ‘types’ and aimed to illustrate the ‘peoples of India’. These small clay figurines were produced in various cities in India including Lucknow, Krishnagar, Calcutta and Pune and sold to visiting Europeans. Groups of them were also displayed in many of the international exhibitions of the period.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Clay, modelled and painted, with cotton and fibre |
| Brief description | Model figure, woman in red/brown sari playing cymbals, possibly made in Krishnagar, 19th century. |
| Physical description | This model is wearing a red/brown cotton sari. She has real fibre hair and the details of her face, finger and toe nails have been painted in. She is playing hand cymbals, which have been painted in gold. She has white ‘caste’ mark on her forehead. This is a very realistic model and her features look like she is from Bengal. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mailey-Claire Danks-Flowers |
| Production | According to T.N. Mukherjee, such realistic models were a feature of the model makers at Krishnagar, a town near Calcutta. See T.N. Mukherjee, Art Manufactures of India, pg, 59. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This figure is one of many such clay models made in India in the 19th century. They were intended to represent different Indian occupations or caste ‘types’ and aimed to illustrate the ‘peoples of India’. These small clay figurines were produced in various cities in India including Lucknow, Krishnagar, Calcutta and Pune and sold to visiting Europeans. Groups of them were also displayed in many of the international exhibitions of the period. |
| Bibliographic reference | T.N. Mukherjee, Art Manufactures of India, pg, 59. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.60-2006 |
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| Record created | December 1, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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