Dancing Girl (prehistoric sculpture)
Bronze statuette from Mohenjo-daro, c. 2300–1750 BC.
The Dancing Girl is a bronze sculpture from the Indus Valley Civilisation, discovered at Mohenjo-daro (in modern-day Pakistan) in 1926. Cast using the lost-wax technique around c. 2300–1750 BC, it depicts a nude young woman or girl with stylized ornaments, standing in a confident, naturalistic pose. The statue is highly regarded as a work of art and is now housed in the National Museum, New Delhi, having been allocated to India at the Partition of India in 1947.
- Material
- Bronze (lost-wax casting)
- Height
- 10.5 cm (4.1 in)
- Period
- c. 2300–1750 BC
- Culture
- Indus Valley Civilisation
- Excavated
- 1926 at Mohenjo-daro by Ernest Mackay
- Current Location
- National Museum, New Delhi, India
Lore & Background
The statue was excavated by British archaeologist Ernest Mackay in the 'HR area' of Mohenjo-daro in 1926. After excavation, it was initially deposited in the Lahore Museum, then moved to the Archaeological Survey of India headquarters at New Delhi. At the Partition of India in 1947, the finds from Mohenjo-daro were split equally between India and Pakistan; India retained the Dancing Girl while Pakistan received the so-called Priest-King figure. Despite this agreement, some Pakistani politicians have subsequently demanded the statue's return, and in 2016 a Pakistani barrister petitioned the Lahore High Court for its return, though no public request has been made by the Pakistani government.
Reader's Guide
The Dancing Girl is one of two bronze figures found at Mohenjo-daro that show more flexible features compared to other formal poses. The girl is nude, wears 24–25 bangles on her left arm and 4 on her right, a necklace with three pendants, and has her hair styled in a large bun resting on her shoulder. Her left hand, resting on her thigh, once held an object; both arms are unusually long. Interpretations of the figure vary: British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler described her as a confident girl of about fifteen; John Marshall saw her as a young girl beating time to music; Gregory Possehl called her 'the most captivating piece of art from an Indus site' but noted uncertainty about her being a dancer; Jonathan Kenoyer suggests she may represent a woman carrying an offering. The statue led to two important discoveries: that the civilization knew metal blending and lost-wax casting, and that entertainment, especially dance, was part of the culture. A similar but inferior bronze statuette was found at Mohenjo-daro in 1930–1931 and is now in the National Museum of Pakistan.
Did You Know?
- The statue is 10.5 cm (4.1 in) tall.
- It was excavated by British archaeologist Ernest Mackay in 1926 at Mohenjo-daro.
- The figure wears 24 to 25 bangles on her left arm and 4 on her right arm.
- A similar bronze statuette, of inferior quality, was found at Mohenjo-daro in 1930–1931 and is displayed at the National Museum of Pakistan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dancing Girl (prehistoric sculpture)?
The Dancing Girl is a small bronze figurine of a nude young woman created during the Indus Valley Civilisation, roughly between 2300 and 1750 BC. She is depicted in a relaxed, confident stance wearing stylized bangles and other ornaments, and is one of the most celebrated surviving artworks from that ancient culture.
What role does the Dancing Girl play in the history of sculpture?
She is widely regarded as the earliest known example of naturalistic bronze figurative art from South Asia, predating similar traditions in the region by centuries. Her lifelike posture and sense of individual presence set her apart from the more rigid, symbolic figures typical of contemporary ancient art.
How does the Dancing Girl's story end after her discovery?
After being unearthed at Mohenjo-daro in 1926 by excavator Ernest Mackay, the statuette was allocated to India following the 1947 Partition. It now resides in the National Museum in New Delhi, where it remains on public display.
Why is the Dancing Girl important to fans of prehistoric sculpture?
At just over ten centimetres tall, she demonstrates that the lost-wax bronze-casting technique was already highly sophisticated in the third millennium BC. Her naturalism and the quiet confidence of her pose make her a landmark piece for anyone studying early figurative art.
Where was the Dancing Girl found and how was she made?
She was excavated at the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro in present-day Pakistan in 1926. The figure was produced using the lost-wax (cire perdue) method, in which a wax model is encased in clay, the wax is melted out, and the cavity is filled with molten bronze.
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