2009.202.145: Drawing of a Little Girl Dancing Before Spectators

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2009.202.145

People

Attributed to The Kota Master, Indian

Title

Drawing of a Little Girl Dancing Before Spectators

Classification

Drawings

Work Type

drawing

Date

c. 1720

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Kota

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/217678

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Purple-red ink and opaque watercolor over charcoal underdrawing on tan lai paper; Rajput Style, Kota School

Dimensions

17 x 12.9 cm (6 11/16 x 5 1/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Stuart Cary Welch (by 1983 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum.

Notes:
Object was part of long-term loan to Museum in 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch

Accession Year

2009

Object Number

2009.202.145

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description

In the center and on the right is a little girl dancing. Her knees are bent outward with her heels touching each other. Her right arms is outstretched with her hand forming a particular gesture. Her left arm is bent upward, with her left hand also forming a gesture. While her body faces frontward, her face is turned to the right. She wears a long skirt with a scalloped edge. She wears anklets with bells that make a distinct noise to keep rhythm and tempo. A group of five people, which includes one male figure, watch the young dancer. Some express their amazement; two women have their hands outstretched towards her and another has her hand on her head. The right, left, and the bottom of the page have swirls and scribbles executed in a variety of colors. These bold lines signify the artist testing colors and strokes, as well as adjusting the amount of pigment held in the brushes. Rajput Style, Kota School.

Publication History

• Stuart Cary Welch and Kim Masteller, From Mind, Heart, and Hand: Persian, Turkish, and Indian Drawings from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection, exh. cat., Yale University Press (New Haven, 2004), pp. 136-140, no. 43

Exhibition History

• The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984
• Infancy to Old Age: A Gallery of Indians, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/27/1993 - 04/25/1993
• From Mind, Heart, and Hand: Persian, Turkish, and Indian Drawings from SCWelch, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 03/19/2005 - 06/02/2005

Verification Level