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Lot Essay
Of the few portraits of female dancers in the Fraser Album, this depiction of Kandar Bakhsh and the one of Peearee Jan in the following lot are perhaps the finest and most memorable. By focusing so penetratingly on these dancers as single figures, the artist has brought them alive before us as characters with their own thoughts and realities.
On their return from the Himalayas in 1815, William introduced James to novel aspects of Delhi life such as Indian music and dancing. Portraits of named courtesans, as well as scenes of male audiences enjoying the nautch had proliferated after 1750, with several such paintings, including lots 51 and 52 in the current sale, depicting European patrons in these contexts (Butler Schofield 2023, p.201). William and James Baillie Fraser would have been privy to social entertainments such as nautch performances by groups of dancers and musicians, which traditionally had been part of courtly culture and had now become highly sought-after pursuits afforded to the aristocracy and new nobility, including European officers and military men (Shaffer and Sharma 2024, p.101). Colonel James Skinner (1778-1841) retained a troupe of performers and was known for handing out pictorial souvenir of the nautch to his guests (for examples of these, see lots 54 and 55 in the current sale).
This painting however, and those of Peearee Jan (see the following lot), and Malaguire (lot 42) are distinct from this public form of spectatorship – they are much more intimate and personal. Without the ensemble cast of performers, one sees the clear individual characters of these dancers. Kandar Bakhsh, here, has a more open look whereas Peearee Jan looks worldly and somewhat untrusting. As Canby writes of this work and the painting of Peearee Jan, "their forthright gazes and revealing clothing emphasize their role as part of the demi-monde in which dancers could also be courtesans, objects of physical desire rather than symbols of spiritual yearning” (Canby 1998, p.182).
The subtle treatment of the drapery, hair and jewellery are the work of a highly accomplished master who has thoroughly adapted to the pictorial requirements of his British patron. Kandar Bakhsh is particularly heavily bejeweled - she wears multiple gold necklaces, bangles, bazubands and earrings, many set with diamonds, pearls and gemstones. If jewellery was a symbol of standing and success then evidently her status was high. As in many of the paintings of the Fraser pages, but unlike that of Malaguire (lot 42), the artist here uses a short shadow to give a sense of depth to the painting, perhaps also in an effort to impress his patron.
On their return from the Himalayas in 1815, William introduced James to novel aspects of Delhi life such as Indian music and dancing. Portraits of named courtesans, as well as scenes of male audiences enjoying the nautch had proliferated after 1750, with several such paintings, including lots 51 and 52 in the current sale, depicting European patrons in these contexts (Butler Schofield 2023, p.201). William and James Baillie Fraser would have been privy to social entertainments such as nautch performances by groups of dancers and musicians, which traditionally had been part of courtly culture and had now become highly sought-after pursuits afforded to the aristocracy and new nobility, including European officers and military men (Shaffer and Sharma 2024, p.101). Colonel James Skinner (1778-1841) retained a troupe of performers and was known for handing out pictorial souvenir of the nautch to his guests (for examples of these, see lots 54 and 55 in the current sale).
This painting however, and those of Peearee Jan (see the following lot), and Malaguire (lot 42) are distinct from this public form of spectatorship – they are much more intimate and personal. Without the ensemble cast of performers, one sees the clear individual characters of these dancers. Kandar Bakhsh, here, has a more open look whereas Peearee Jan looks worldly and somewhat untrusting. As Canby writes of this work and the painting of Peearee Jan, "their forthright gazes and revealing clothing emphasize their role as part of the demi-monde in which dancers could also be courtesans, objects of physical desire rather than symbols of spiritual yearning” (Canby 1998, p.182).
The subtle treatment of the drapery, hair and jewellery are the work of a highly accomplished master who has thoroughly adapted to the pictorial requirements of his British patron. Kandar Bakhsh is particularly heavily bejeweled - she wears multiple gold necklaces, bangles, bazubands and earrings, many set with diamonds, pearls and gemstones. If jewellery was a symbol of standing and success then evidently her status was high. As in many of the paintings of the Fraser pages, but unlike that of Malaguire (lot 42), the artist here uses a short shadow to give a sense of depth to the painting, perhaps also in an effort to impress his patron.