Artwork
Concluding ceremony before lighting the Funeral Pyre
Concluding ceremony before lighting the Funeral Pyre is a paint painting by the Art Nouveau artist Elfrida Tharle-Hughes. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Created in 1923, this painting records a Balinese royal funeral ritual.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1923, this painting records a Balinese royal funeral ritual. It captures the moment just before the pyre is ignited for the Prince Regent’s siblings, the Bangli Regency, showing the ceremonial preparations and the surrounding landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a stepped, four‑sided pyre topped by a square canopy, beneath which two elaborately decorated coffins rest on a rectangular platform. Women in long skirts carry baskets and bowls of offerings on their heads, advancing toward the pyre to deposit their gifts into the emerging flames, a gesture that reflects communal participation in the rites of passage.
Technique & Style
Rendered with vivid, saturated pigments, the work employs a flattened perspective and bold outlines typical of early twentieth‑century outsider depictions of non‑Western cultures. The artist emphasizes decorative detail in the coffins and canopy while simplifying the surrounding foliage, creating a contrast between the ceremonial focus and the broader environment.
History & Provenance
The painting originates from an external observer of Balinese court ceremonies in the 1920s. It entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings on Asian art and colonial-era visual documentation.
Context
Balinese royal funerals traditionally involve elaborate pyres and communal offerings, with the Prince Regent’s family observing specific protocols. The scene reflects the ritual’s hierarchical structure, where women play a central role in presenting tributes, and the pyre’s architecture signifies status and spiritual transition.
Artist & collection
Artist
