The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2024

Frieze with Dancer and Musicians

Frieze with Dancer and Musicians

c. 973
Overall: 33.4 x 95.3 x 11.3 cm (13 1/8 x 37 1/2 x 4 7/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The twisting, dynamic postures of the musicians in this frieze may visually echo the joyful music they are playing together.

Description

A dancer, who strikes a pose in the center, is accompanied by a full orchestra of musicians in lively variegated poses. At the far left, a woman plays the cymbals, her mouth open in song. Twisting turning postures of figures wrought in high relief with little background space behind them are characteristics of Indian sculpture from the medieval period. Music and dance were important components of devotional temple activities; they were considered as pleasing to the divinity and attractive for devotees as the works of sculpture and architecture.
  • ?–1969
    (J.J. Klejman [1906–1995], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1969–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 301 archive.org
    Czuma, Stanislaw J., "Eternal Rhythms", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 36 no. 08, October 1996. Mentioned & reproduced: p. 9 archive.org
    Morris, Rekha. "Sense and Sensitivity: Sherman Lee's Impact on the Collection of North Indian Sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art," Orientations, vol. 36, no. 1 (January/February 2005), pp. 88–93. Reproduced: pp. 92–93
    McGill, Forrest. Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in the Arts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayan Region. San Francisco, CA: Asian Art Museum, 2022. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 200, no. 80
  • Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art. The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH (organizer) (November 11, 2022-February 5, 2023) https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/beyond-bollywood-2000-years-of-dance-in-art/; Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (March 31-July 10, 2023) https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/beyond-bollywood-2000-years-of-dance-in-art/.
    Dance of the Gods: Indian Art Inspired by Music. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-December 8, 1996).
    Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
  • {{cite web|title=Frieze with Dancer and Musicians|url=false|author=|year=c. 973|access-date=26 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.34