The tribal rider
The rider and his sceptre
€95.00
Tribal brass Bastar statue from South India representing a horseman with sceptre: Tribal art plays an important role in the representation of daily life. More...
Height : 5.71'
Weight : 0.8 lbs
Tribal Art
Lost wax casting
Origin : Chattisgarh - India
Free shipping in UE, Norway and Switzerland
Description
The Bastars people
The Bastar is a district of South India in the state of Chattisgarh, it was an independent kingdom from the 14th century until its integration into India in 1948.
The tribal population accounts for 70% of the population of Bastar district: the main tribes are the Gonds - the Abhuj Maria and the Bhatras. Most of them have kept their traditions (cooking, clothing, festivals...) and their animist religion.
The tribes still live mainly from agriculture and forest resources (hunting, medicinal plants, wood...).
Some tribes have devoted themselves to brass statuary art for more than 4000 years. This art, also found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar... is called Dokra.
Dokra art
This traditional and artisanal art has not changed for millennia (more than 4000 years) and the technique used is still that of lost wax: a rough model in clay is made and then covered with wax by the artist who will give it its final shape with its details. The whole is again covered with a clay mixture and then heated in an open hearth where a copper alloy is cast. See Blog.
The objects produced by the Dokra artists can be of usual nature: dish, candlestick... musical instruments (brass), or artistic such as jewelry, animals: horses, elephants, turtles..., or statues of men and women representing scenes of daily life and Hindu deities adopted by the tribes: Ganesh, Lakshmi, ...
The rider although holding in his hand a scepter showing his position of command and leader in the community is dressed simply: a loincloth, a turban. Jewels are present but in a very discreet way.
The horse is well-proportioned and is much larger than the man whose legs appear very small. The ears are proudly erect: one feels a lot of nobility in this animal.
The whole of this statue reflects tribal life: a lot of simplicity, dignity (the man stands upright in the middle of his horse's back) and a great importance given to animals. Harmony with nature holds a primordial place among the animist tribes in India who cannot conceive of nature as their own. They form a whole with it and this sculpture marks this strong bond.
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The tribal rider
€95.00Customer reviews
« I have just acquired a real masterpiece of tribal art "The pregnant woman with her baby". The statue moved me, you can feel the hand of the artist, the emotion that emanates from this woman.
Bertrand Bellaize is a passionate gallery owner who gave me lots of advice and explanations. I can only recommend! » (Martine M)
Bertrand Bellaize is a passionate gallery owner who gave me lots of advice and explanations. I can only recommend! » (Martine M)
« I have just received the Kubera statuette: thank you very much, it is very beautiful!
Thank you for the care you have taken in the packaging and in the presentation of the work of the families who create these statuettes, for the historical context of this art. » (Stephane M)
Thank you for the care you have taken in the packaging and in the presentation of the work of the families who create these statuettes, for the historical context of this art. » (Stephane M)
« Excellent site. Everything went well again for this second order. » (Eric D.)