Public domain
A pair of figures known as 'Malabars'
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
These porcelain figurines are supposed to represent inhabitants of Malabar, a coastal region in southwest India. However, engravings of Malabars in Western literature came to symbolize people from all over India. The prints were a European fantasy, just like these statuettes. Their clothes, headdress, hairdos and trappings are an amalgam of all kinds of styles and ideas. They became a popular product of the Meissen manufactory.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit linePaar figuren bekend als ‘Malabaren’. 1748 - 1749. anonymous. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
