Item ST 40586 Indian Figure - Bricklayers Labourer, Pune, Clay, circa 1867

Summary

Alternative Names: Poonah Figure, Poona Figure

This clay figure of a Bricklayers Labourer was part of a series of 82 Indian clay figures purchased from Stubb and Co for £9.10 in 1867 by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). The group of figures, which came from Pune (Poonah), represented various castes, occupations and religious sects in India. The NGV Stock book records identify the figure as 'Bricklayers Labourer (in India Women perform that labour)'.

Physical Description

Figure of a woman on a wooden base. The base is painted red turned wood painted red. A paper label is glued to the upper surface of the base. The figure is plaster/composition modeled over wooden dowels, it is painted with a dark brown skin tone and dressed in fabric. She is dressed in a cotton red, pink and white shirt, orange sari with decorative strips of white red and black cotton.