Bastar woman carrying a tray Statuette

Dignity in daily life

€190.00

In this small Bastar statuette typical of Dokra art, the artist represents a common scene in the daily life where tribal women provide food and water. More...

Height : 11.02'

Weight : 2.05 lbs

Sacred Art

Lost wax casting

Origin : Chattisgarh - India

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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, ...

Posture Standing with her feet firmly planted on the ground, this woman is about to fetch food or water that she will carry on the tray placed on her head or in her Tumba (gourd made with a hollowed out and dried squash).
The back is straight, the gaze serene and distant: this woman gives off an impression of dignity and relaxation despite the difficulty of the task.

Jewelry Despite the daily physical labor, this woman is adorned with her most beautiful jewels. Several necklaces follow one another in cascade as well as a very long one covering her chest which reinforces the impression of elegance and sobriety. The hair is typically styled in a bun on one side.