Summary

Alternative Names: Poonah Figure, Poona Figure

This clay figure of man, with a dubber for oil 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.

Physical Description

Figure of a man on a wooden base. The base is turned wood painted black. A paper label is glued to the upper surface of the base. The man is plaster/composition modeled over wooden dowels, which are attached to the base,through his legs. He is painted with a dark brown skin tone and dressed in fabric. He is dressed in a white cotton turban and loincloth, a black cotton waist sash and is holding a white cotton rope in his left hand. He is carrying a water bottle made from plaster/composition on his shoulders, which is fixed to his back by a ferrous metal pin passing from the bottle to his back. He also has several white u-shaped symbols painted on his arms and torso.

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