Santhal Village

The collection of NGMA has close to 390 artworks of Mukul Dey which include drawings, sketches and prints acquired by the museum from the artist's family and from other private art collections. The artist's works include portraits and drawings of the renowned personalities of the time from diverse fields of politics, literature, science, education and also of the leading entrepreneurs, acquaintances, family members and friends. Apart from the portraits the collection also has paintings executed in the Bengal School style portraying landscapes especially of the Bengal countryside, the native people in all their glory, the flora and fauna, the saints and Bauls preaching wisdom through the villages, the monuments and also those narrating the religious fables, the folk tales and customs of the land. The Santhals were the tribals living in the vicinity of Santiniketan who were often portrayed by the artists of the Bengal School. Their simple lifestyle and cultural ethos firmly rooted in the land drew interest and they were frequently represented doing daily chores and living in harmony in their natural surroundings. The print here depicts a Santhal woman plucking fruits from a tree, standing on the thatched roof of her hut. The inscription mentions, Has a handwritten numerical inscription which reads '47-110/2235' at the bottom right corner of the print.