Lot 120
FEMALE ACBROBATS PERFORMING UP BAMBOO POLES
SOUTH INDIA, TANJORE, 18TH CENTURY
Auction: 10 June 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
gouache and gold on paper, depicting three men holding up long bamboo sticks with women performing on them, a presenter to the left and a drummer on to the right, against a blue ground, orange border with black ink margin lines, watermarked cover leaf with handwritten note in ink ‘Performances by women upon bamboos 25 or 30 feet in length, & supported by men.’ and series ‘no. 57’, mounted, framed and glazed
Dimensions
43cm x 27.9cm
Provenance
Private collection, London.
Footnote
The cover leaf is watermarked ‘FIN D’ANGOUMOIS', referring to a high-quality paper mill in Aungoumois in France, which was active during the 18th century. The paper mill was known to produce paper for export to the British. For another painting from the same series, see Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 19 April 2016, lot 243.
For slightly later versions of this style of painting from Tanjore, see A. L, Dallapiccola, South Indian Paintings: a catalogue of the British Museum Collection, no. 14.11, p. 182.