A Rare Group Of Four Ethnographic Terracotta Figures—krishnanagar, Bengal, India, 19th Century

Workshop or circle of Jadunath Pal (1821–1920)

A rare set of four ethnographic figures in polychrome terracotta, made in Krishnanagar, Bengal—one of the most famous Indian centers for naturalistic clay sculpture in the 19th century.

These figures were not intended merely as decorative statuettes. They are part of a body of work designed to represent the peoples of India in three dimensions, through their physical features, occupations, castes, communities, and religious affiliations.

In an era preceding the widespread use of photography, these figures constituted a genuine visual and ethnographic technology: a means of “seeing the peoples” and conveying their image across great distances. Series of these figures were thus sent to Europe and displayed at major international exhibitions of the 19th century.

The Krishnanagar workshops were particularly renowned for their realism: the bodies were meticulously modeled on a metal frame, painted in a naturalistic style, then dressed in genuine textiles and accessorized with hair and other items. (Museums Victoria Collections⁠)

The examples preserved at Museums Victoria, which originated from the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, are explicitly described as representing different castes, professions, and religious sects in India. Several are documented as works by Jadunath Pal. (Museums Victoria Collections⁠)