Summary

Alternative Names: Poonah Figure, Poona Figure

This clay figure of a Ryot woman was made in Pune (Poona), India. It was exhibited at the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880, as part of a group of figures representing various castes, occupations and religious sects in India. Pune sent exhibits to the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition as part of the British India Court. It was gifted to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) by the India Commission of the Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880-81. The NGV Stock book records identify the figure as a 'Rydt (?) Woman'.

Ryot was a general term used throughout India for peasant cultivators but with variations in different provinces. Raiyats were tenants and cultivators, and also served as hired labour.

Physical Description

Figure of a woman on a wooden base. The base is painted brown turned wood. A paper label is glued to the base. The figure is plaster/composition modeled over wooden dowels, it is painted with a terracotta skin tone and dressed in fabric. Her garments consist of a blouse and trousers of white and black cotton, the blouse has a checked design, the trousers have a floral design. She also has blue, checked shawl wrapped around her waist.

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