Indian and Himalayan Art A Parsi Family in their Family Room Made in Cambay (present-day Khambhat), Gujarat, India, Asia1934 Artist/maker unknown, India Photographic print with watercolor on paper Currently not on view 2009-228-1 Purchased with the Stella Kramrisch Fund, 2009 |
LabelUntil the advent of photography, portraiture had long been out of reach for all but India’s courtly classes. Photography not only democratized the portrait, it also spurred painters to adapt their skills in new and unusual ways. This depiction of a middle-class family, for example, was produced by layering watercolor on top of a photographic print. The identification of the family as Parsis (Zoroastrians who emigrated from Iran to India as early as the eighth century CE) is conveyed through their clothing and the lion-adorned toran (door-hanging) at left, which clearly draws from ancient Iranian traditions. Also prominently on display are a record player; an elaborate tea set; a board used for carrom, a tabletop game popular in South Asia; and a large, wine-colored rug on which the family is proudly gathered. |
