Indian Figure - Palanquin With Officer Inside, Poona, Clay, circa 1867

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This item is on display at Melbourne Museum

Summary:: Alternative Names: Poonah Figure, Poona Figure

This clay figure of a Palanquin with an Officer inside 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. The NGV Stock book records identify the figure as a 'Palanquin with Officer inside, a Peon or Messenger with a letter'.
Description:: Man in a palanquin being carried by four men, with another man standing alongside, all on a wooden base painted orange, green and white. A paper label is glued to the base. The Palanquin is made of Mica, wood, copper and textiles. The figures are made of plaster/composition modeled over wooden dowels, and are painted and dressed in fabric. The figures are dressed in trousers, coats and waist sashes, the figure standing alongside also wears the red shoulder sash of a Peon and holds a piece of paper in his left hand.
Acquisition Information:: Donation (Probable) from Exhibition: 1880 International, Melbourne, 1880

Discipline:	Technology
Dimensions:	18.50 cm (Height), 14.50 cm (Width), 42.50 cm (Length)
Dimension Comment:	Measurements taken for Australia Gallery redevelopment.

Tagged with:	museum history, handcrafts, indigenous cultures, sculpture
Themes this item is part of:	Clay Modelling in India, Poona (Poonah/Pune) Clay Modelling, Royal Exhibition Building Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection
On Display at:	Melbourne Museum
Primary Classification:	MUSEUM HISTORY
Secondary Classification:	Affiliated Institutions
Tertiary Classification:	exhibition heritage
Inscriptions:	Printed in black ink on paper label: 74
Place & Date Made:	Pune, Maharashtra, India, circa 1867 NGV Stock book gives date range.