The Dholak transverse flute musician

Music at the Bastars people

€99.00

This statue evokes the music which holds in particular a great place in the tribal ceremonies like in the Hindu rituals. More...

Height : 3.94'

Weight : 0 lbs

Sacred Art

Lost wax

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, ...

Posture Sitting, straight, cross-legged with raised knees, in an atypical position for India where the knees usually touch the ground. The flute is placed on the ground between the feet. The posture is comfortable and allows the musician to play for hours wherever he is. A simple loincloth dresses this musician with simplicity.

Jewellery This musician is adorned with a simple necklace adorning his chest. Several bracelets embellish her arms.

Face A simple scarf covers her head, enhanced by a forehead band adorned with a stone.

This simple statuette gives us a direct vision of Dokra tribal art: a representation of the essential moments of life and music, during religious ceremonies is a big part of it. No superfluous details, the essential is expressed in a few strokes to give a strong impression.