Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s5.11

v2.c8.s5.11

Interspersed in such ornamental panels of varied design are sportive figures, and the one reproduced in this Plate (X *b*) is that of a snake-charmer. He is looking upward in an attitude of feigned carelessness, while with his hand he is holding the neck of a hooded cobra, which stands erect from a basket. The crouching pose of the charmer, with one knee bent to the ground, apparently suggests alertness in playing with the snake, but as the head of the figure is damaged, the comic effect of the expression of his face cannot be fully appreciated.