- Title
- Dancing Villagers
- Date Made
- circa 1730
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 9 3/4 x 14 1/4 in. (24.77 x 36.2 cm); Sheet: 10 3/4 x 15 1/4 in. (27.31 x 38.74 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.77.19.24
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
A masterpiece in the Heeramaneck collection is this painting depicting seven men dancing with abandon to the tune of four musicians. It is remarkable for its unusual subject matter as well as its refined execution, lively portrayal of human form, and sensitive attention to portrait features. The painting is probably by Pandit Seu, an artist from Guler who is credited with introducing a more naturalistic approach to painting in the hill states. His highly individualized figures are accentuated by a monochromatic background typical of indigenous painting traditions throughout northern India. A traditional interest in rhythmic forms and lines is evident in the varied postures and flowing garments of his dancers.
- Selected Bibliography
- Goswamy, B.N. and Eberhard Fischer. Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India. Zürich: Artibus Asiae Publishers and Museum Rietberg, 1992.
- Rosenfield, John. The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
- Archer, W.G.,Indian paintings From The Punjab Hills,London:Sotheby Parke Bernet,1973
- McGill, Forrest, editor. Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in the Arts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayan Region. San Francisco, CA: Asian Art Museum, 2022.
