Minstrels in Art

The Oxford dictionary defines music as vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. It is an art of sound in time that expresses  emotions through the elements rhythm, melody, harmony and colour.

Music is delivered by singers, and instrument players, called by many names like singers, musicians and minstrels. Many humans also hum to themselves thus creating their own music, or play an instrument as practice or enjoyment in their own space and time!

An interesting painting showing  a king Raja Mia Kapoor Singh seated under a canopy enjoying huqqa. Three musicians are also shown, a person playing a tanpura, two other standing behind the 'raja' (king) playing cymbals. An attendant is lighting the huqqa.

A painting showing a princess seated on a carpet enjoying ‘huqqa’, attended by fly-whisk bearer behind and being entertained by three lady musicians seated in front, on terrace having  garden in the background,with double gold borders, from Rajasthan, circa 1700.

Modern painting by D. Doraiswamy, representing five figures; consisting of a vocal musician in the centre and four accompanists, two on either side, dated to circa 1965.

Painting showing a noble lady seated on a yellow carpet, on a terrace playing on a veena/sitar, a musical instrument, she wears interesting headgear and mahawar , a red lac dye on her dainty feet, it is the rainy season, Uniara style, from Rajasthan, dated to 17th century.

Painted porcelain figure of a bearded musician playing on a mandolin, wearing blue jacket and mauve trousers, standing on a green base, from England, dated to the 20th century.

'Chauser' piece shaped as the seated figure of a lady musician playing on a drum, coloured red, gold and green. 'Chausar' was a precursor to the popular game chess, figure is made in ivory, dated to the 19th century.

Figure of a musician playing a flute, on a drum-shaped metal pedestal, made in ivory, from England, dated to the 19^th century.

Musician with string instrument which seems to be a rabab which was introduced to Indian classical music around the 14th and 15th centuries. The musician is sporting a beard and wearing traditional garments, and sits cross-legged holding his instrument, from India, 20th century.

Ivory carved to represent a group of three music players. They are having happy faces as they play on their instruments. The object is called a ‘Netsuke’, a Japanese artform mostly made from ivory. This figure is dated to the 19th century.

Painting on canvas representing a dancing girl in red shaded dress, a woman at her left, both seated and holding tambourine, by artist A. Duval. Wooden frame with eight beaded panels and eight shell inlaid panels bearing an Arabic inscription, from Egypt, dated to 20th century.