Dancing Girl

Dimensions: 31cm high, 9cm wide
Code: CLAY 2621

Vintage terracotta bommai of a dancing girl from Tamil Nadu from the early 1930s/40s. She holds stars in both hands, and is embellished with gold-coloured bangles, earrings and other jewellery. The playful figure wears a red choli (tight fitting blouse), and a pleated skirt that allows for the movement of the dance. Her hair hangs in a long plait down the side draping over her shoulder. India has a long history of depicting dancing girls in its sculpture. The earliest known piece, which is kept in the Harappan Gallery at the National Museum in Delhi, is believed to be over four thousand years old and is from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The prehistoric figure is simply known as “Dancing Girl” girl and is just 10.5cm high. It has a similar natural and confidant pose as this piece.

Bommai are figures used for the display of dolls and figurines that takes place in South India during the Hindu festival of Navaratri, which is a nine-day festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. In Southern India the bommai are presented in the home on tier shelves, and friends and neighbours are invited to visit to view the displays and exchange gifts and sweets. There is evidence of this tradition dating back to the fourteenth century. Today, the exhibits are typically thematic, narrating a legend from a Hindu text or a secular cultural issue. The dolls are collected and passed on from one generation to another as an heirloom and new figures are added each year. These terracotta figures are also known as Kolu, Gombe Habba, Bommai Kolu, Bommalu Kolueru or Bommala Koluvu.