Grotesque Dancers Performing
1600
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1600
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Grotesque Dancers Performing is a 1600 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see three strange dancers in bright costumes against a plain background. One has elephant ears and a tiger-skin wrap. Another wears a leaf collar. The third carries a bone club with an animal head. These figures might be tribal performers or nature spirits brought to entertain at a Mughal court. The artist made them look wild, almost like creatures from a story. Their exaggerated features and props stand out against the simple setting. If this intrigues you, look up more about Mughal India.
This scene from an unidentified manuscript depicts entertainers at the Mughal court. The dancers appear to be from the fringes of society, and they may be intended to depict tribal people or semihuman nature spirits. One is dark skinned with small elephant ears and red-rimmed eyes, wearing a white tiger-skin pelt. The female dancer wears a collar of leaves; the male figure on the right has horns, wears bells, and carries an animal-headed club that appears to be made of bone. An exuberant orchestra provides musical and vocal accompaniment below. While not an imperial production, this painting…
Akbar applied an aromatic paste under his arms, which stained his garment.
Read the full account in the museum source.
