The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Crouching Dwarf Musician

200–100 BCE

India, Shunga period

(185–78 BCE)
terracotta
10.2 x 8.7 x 3.7 cm (4 x 3 7/16 x 1 7/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1983.79
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Two holes at the top and bottom of the figure indicate that this object worked as a whistle.

Description

Images of dwarfs referenced the fertility of the earth. With lush curling hair, portly full body, and visible genitals, this figure squats close to the earth and plays on a double flute pipe instrument.
  • ?–1983
    (Navin Kumar Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1983–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. "Year in Review for 1983." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 2 (1984): 38-79. Mentioned: no. 243, p. 77; Reproduced: no. 243, p. 66 www.jstor.org
    Poster, Amy G. From Indian Earth: 4,000 Years of Terracotta Art : [Exhibition]. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Museum, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 38, p. 106
    Guy, John. Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned: p. 49-50; Reproduced: p. 50, cat. 18
  • From Indian Earth: 4000 Years of Terracotta Art. The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY (January 16-April 14, 1986).
    The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=Crouching Dwarf Musician|url=false|author=|year=200–100 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.79