Demétre H. Chiparus (1886-1947), 'Dancer of Kapurthala', circa 1925

Held in the distinguished South Australian Angas family collection for over ninety years, 'Dancer of Kapurthala' is believed to have been purchased new by Ronald Fife Angas in the late 1920s, before ownership passed to the present collection in 1992. The Angas family has a long history in South Australia, with the town Angaston named after the colony's founding father George Fife Angas. Chiparus's Dancer of Kapurthala is an alluringly slender figure whose movement is captured succinctly as she is poised on pointed toe with her arms raised.

At the height of the Art Deco period, Demétre Chiparus continuously sought inspiration from the ancient and exotic, with a particular fascination with the arts and decorations of Asia and Egypt. However, his catalyst for creation was often contemporary. The direct source of inspiration for Dancer of Kapurthala appears to be Anita Delgado, a Spanish flamenco dancer, who captivated the heart of the Maharaja of Kapurthala. During his visit to attend the wedding of Spanish King Alfonso XIII, the Maharaja of Kapurthala, Jagatjit Singh Bahadur, became infatuated with Delgado after witnessing her perform. Initially refusing the Maharaja's advances, Delgado would later marry him in a Sikh wedding in India, and became the Maharani of Kapurthala, Prem Kaur.