Tribal statues/india

Hello

I write to you to have some information on these two statuettes Indian which come from the area of Radjasthan, I them board bought on a blow of heart, they fascinate me. According to some research on the Web, they could date from the XIII and the XIX centuries of the area of "Orissa" and the its neighbourhoods. May be Dhokra or cymbalist, chamanique statues? Can say itself some to me a little bit more, on the attributes of the characters, their significances?

thank you

Cheers,

Laetitia Verbeek (Brussel)

Hello Laetitia,

due to their black surface and the rather typical zig-zag lined surface I would recall them from the Kond (Kondh, Gondh) people which are from the eastern part of Orissa area.

The pieces have been casted by neighboring groups and traded about once a year during harvesting festivities with the Kond.
The mostly used them as gift during certain festivities and kept them at home in the corner of the ancestors just across the fire place. Therefore they obtained a very heavy smoky patina.
The first mentioning of the Kond by a British official was in the beginning of the 19. cent. and the first pieces now in the V&A Museum came there at around the 1890´s.

Dating in generall means 19. / 20. cent. but could be older; the question is just how to proof / verify an exact age of such a piece ?!

Good reading would be (but in German language) "Die anderen Götter, Cornelia Mallebrein, Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Köln, 1993" a book for an exhibition about Indian yellow metal casting in central and east India.
And an articel in "Arts of Asia, issue #7 , 1977" in english.

all the best
udo.gangl

Dear Laetitia,

Those are very interesting figures. While there are some interesting stylistic anomalies, I think it is safe to say that these are examples of the style of statuary commonly referred to as "Dhokra". By the way, please note that Rajasthan is in far west India and this style of figure originates not in the West, but predominantly in the central and slightly eastern regions - the heart of India, if you will.

Dhokra is a term which has come to be synonymous with tribal bronzes created with the Cire perdue process from this cental region. It can be confusing because the metal workers themselves are often referred to as "Dhokra people" as well. Hence we find a situation where people say that a figure was made by the "Dhokras of Chatisgarh state" or the "Dhokra tribals of Orissa state", etc. Then people have a difficult time understanding how Dhokra people can be from several different states. Also, Dhokra is a general name for any sculptor who works in metal in some areas, and due to the caste system prevalent in India, which regards metal working as a very "low" occupation, the term "Dhokra" or "Dokra" is sometimes used in the sense of a slur to denote a person of low or degraded social status.

Anyway, the point is... the art forms we know today as Dhokra, can come from a few different states of central / east-central India. There are broad similarities, but also regional variations. These states where typical Dhokra metal work is to be found are: Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jarkhand, Orisssa, Bihar, and West Bengal.

Orissa is often the attributed origin for any Dhokra sculpture because frankly... the state tourism board in Orissa has done an excellent job of promoting the states handicraft artisans and tribal craft traditions.

It is indeed quite possible that your figures are from Orissa, but due to the head gear and overall style, I have a feeling that they may be from tribal groups in Chatisgarh or even Madhya Pradesh. Areas that are to the west of Orissa.

The cross hatch surface on the figures is very typical of "Dhokra style" from across the heartland to a large degree. However, the head gear and facial features are indicative of more westerly or even southern tribal groups I would say. The interesting thing is that while cattle or buffalo horns in ritual head gear and in sculpture are typical in sculpture form Madhya Pradesh and Chatisgarh states... your figure seems to be wearing something more like a deer antler. Very interesting!

In short, I regret that I don't have the broad familiarity with Dhokra across the region to attribute an exact place where your figures came from with complete certainty. None the less, I like your figures very much. Thank you for showing them. I will post again if I can find more relavent information.

Steven Brothers