Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.5
Gallery Label:
Music was an important aspect of life in India for Indians and colonists such as the Mason family. Here, Emily Mason beats a tambourine and lifts her heel from the ground, a movement similar to a formal dance performed in India. Her brother looks on, clutching a miniature rifle and leaning on an overturned urn that could be played as a drum. To Emily's right, sheet music rests on the pianoforte, the seat fully elevated to accommodate one of the children. --- A man and a woman are in conversation past the archway of the large neoclassical home; the woman is likely the family's ayah, a nursemaid from India responsible for the children's care. Their position toward the margins of Devis's composition mirrors the broader disparity in colonial society between East India Company families and the Indian population. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2021
