Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v4.c16.s34: Two Dwarfs with Musical Instruments
Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v4.c16.s34
- Language
- English
Two Dwarfs with Musical Instruments
v4.c16.s34.1
Plate LXXI *b
v4.c16.s34.2
*The subject is painted on the base of a pillar of the ante-chamber in Cave XVII.*
v4.c16.s34.3
THE columns and pilasters of this *vihāra* are beautifully painted, the subjects being floral designs, mythical animals, and scenes representing court life. A few floral designs and a pair of mythical animals are reproduced in Plate I *a–d*, and may give the art-critic an idea of the imagination and the technical skill of the painter. The Royal Guard (Plate II *c*) and the Toilet Scene (Plate LXIV *b*) already described in detail (on p. 82 and pp. 95–96, respectively) throw considerable light on the court-life of the period. The present subject (Plate LXXI *b*) is also connected with court-life, showing two rollicking minstrels, one playing on a triangular stringed instrument, and the other holding a double drum under his left arm. The mouths of both are open, which suggests that they are either singing or laughing. Both of them are dwarfs and have large paunches, small fat legs, thick lips, and dumpy noses.
v4.c16.s34.4
Their mirthful expressions add to the comic effect of the composition. The colours are indeed insignificant; it is the drawing that has made the subject so charming.