Gorgeous Female Sarangi Musician Batik Painting on cotton.. with measurements of 2.4 feet x 3.8 feet. (b494) Brilliant color masterfully detailed and is sure to be a welcome addition to any decor. In the era gone by, woman trained in music and dance were held in high regard. Courtesans, secular counterparts to devdasis, were deeply involved in the arts of music, singing and dancing, often forming the nuclei of cultivated circles. Working on the art from of batik, where each application of wax is followed by dyeing in various colours, the craftsman has brilliantly captured the mood and form of the female playing the monochord instrument called the sarangi. The charming woman is a courtesan, evident from her jewellery and the plume that she wears on the head. She wears yards of cloth but her curvaceous body and fine limbs are appreciable even beneath them. Her dense and curling tresses are her crowning glory. The various folds and the pleats of the elaborate garment are clearly depicted. The two ends of her garment are tied high at her waist. Musical instruments provide us with historical information on the socio-religious tradition of a people. The bowed monochords have not achieved the status of the plucked ones like sitar and sarod, but they produce melody as pleasurable as the latter. The sarangi that the lady holds has a fingerboard above and the resonator below. The colour scheme of the batik work is sober, yet not dull. The background is pale with mauve crackle. Colour mauve is also used to shade the white saree of the lady. (b494)