A bejewelled head of a woman carved out of white marble and a headless statue of a male in ethnic Indian wear were found near the Gateway of India in August.
A bejewelled head of a woman carved out of white marble and a headless statue of a male in ethnic Indian wear were found near the Gateway of India in August. The female head is well preserved except for the neck, which shows some wear and tear, but the male statue is in bad shape.
But historians and archaeologists are intrigued by the provenance of these statues: Where did they come from? And what were they doing in the sea? The answers are not immediately forthcoming. But it’s clear that there is a fine line between art and junk, and
Mumbai often doesn’t know how to tread it. According to BV Kulkarni, archaeologist at the state Department of Archaeology and Museum, a recent example of art being mistaken for rubbish was when sculptor Anish Kapoor’s Hole and Vessel II sculpture was thrown into a dustbin by an art storage company. Kulkarni thinks something similar may have happened with these two statues.
Archaeologists say they were made in the 17th century, and think they may be representative of Maharashtra’s history, but finding them without any context renders them inconsequential. According to Mahendra Damble, professor of art history at the JJ School of Art, the statues probably do not have any religious significance. “The scars on the sculptures would have made them unsuitable for religious veneration,” he says.
Asked if there is any investigation to find out about the origins of the statues, Kulkarni’s prompt response is: “They are not priority.” The archaeology department is pressed for time, and conserving the ‘priority list of monuments’ comes first, he adds.
Many randomly-found antiques make their way into the locker rooms of the state archaeology department or the museum storage, never to emerge again.” The Museum exhibits a few chosen pieces of art every now and then,” says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director of the Prince of Wales Museum. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum) has about 1,500 such statues in their warehouse.
Although he has not seen the statues, he feels they may interest people. The museum is open to exhibiting Kany form of art belonging to any historical period in India that may interest the people and scholars, he adds. These two statues are currently in a corner of the office; they may eventually find place only in the department’s locker room.
b_barman@dnaindia.net
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