Not currently on display at the V&A

Drawing

1989 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jangarh was a member of the Gond community (an adivasi community located in central India). He has been recognised as one of the most talented Indian artists of contemporary adivasi art, that orginated from a rural, non urban background. In 1986 he received the 'Shikhar Samman' one of the highest artistic awards from the Indian government in recognition of his artistic contribution. This composition was produced by the artist in the latter stage of his career, possibly for an Indian gallery or for an exhibition at one of the folk art and craft museums in India, either the Arts and Crafts Museum in New Delhi, or the Bharat Bhavan Tribal Museum in Bhopal. Jangarh died in July 2001.

The artist has used a black pen to depict a mongoose entwined with a snake, shown against a background of black feathery lines. The overall effect is that of dynamic movement, enhanced by the spiralling figure of the snake and the outward concentric lines.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Drawn in pen and ink on paper
Brief description
Drawing, mongoose and snake, by Jangarh Singh Shyam, drawing in pen, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1989
Physical description
Drawing in black pen on white paper of a mongoose entwined with a snake, shown against a background of black feathery lines.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.7cm
  • Width: 28.2cm
  • With mount height: 56.2cm
  • With mount width: 35.5cm
Content description
A mongoose entwined with a snake,
Style
Production typeunique
Marks and inscriptions
Signed and dated in Hindi on lower right.
Object history
This drawing by the artist Jangah Singh Shyam is one of a set of five bird and animal images depicting the natural world of Gond beliefs.

Historical significance: Jangarh has been recognised as one of the most talented Indian artists of contemporary adivasi art, that orginated from a rural, non urban background. In 1986 he received the 'Shikhar Samman' one of the highest artistic awards from the Indian government in recognition of his artistic contribution. This composition was produced by the artist in the latter stage of his career, possibly for an Indian gallery or exhibition at one of the folk art and craft museums in India, either at the Arts and Crafts Museum in New Delhi or the Bharat Bhavan Tribal Arts Museum, Bhopal. Jangarh died in July 2001.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Jangarh was a member of the Gond community (an adivasi community located in central India). He has been recognised as one of the most talented Indian artists of contemporary adivasi art, that orginated from a rural, non urban background. In 1986 he received the 'Shikhar Samman' one of the highest artistic awards from the Indian government in recognition of his artistic contribution. This composition was produced by the artist in the latter stage of his career, possibly for an Indian gallery or for an exhibition at one of the folk art and craft museums in India, either the Arts and Crafts Museum in New Delhi, or the Bharat Bhavan Tribal Museum in Bhopal. Jangarh died in July 2001.

The artist has used a black pen to depict a mongoose entwined with a snake, shown against a background of black feathery lines. The overall effect is that of dynamic movement, enhanced by the spiralling figure of the snake and the outward concentric lines.
Bibliographic reference
Jain, Jyotindra (1998) "Other Masters: Five Contemporary Folk and Tribal Artists of India": Crafts Museum, New Delhi, p16-33.
Collection
Accession number
IS.37-1993

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 9, 2001
Record URL
Download as: JSON