Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

ART

Clay Figures

: Figures in clay, painted and dressed up in muslins,

silks and spangles were modelled at Kishnaghur, Calcutta,

Lucknow and Poona. The Lucknow models of fruit were so true to

nature as to defy detection until handled.

Miscellaneous small

wares-trinketry

At Poona and other places bracelets,

necklaces and chains are made of some

sort of perfumed composition. The manu-

facture of mock ornaments for the idols

was a very prosperous industry in most

large Indian cities. These ornaments were

for the most part made of paper cut into

various shapes and struck over with bits of

many coloured tinfoil, peacock feathers.

The great occasion for the sale of these or-

naments was the birthday of Krishna.

Another article much in demand on that

day is enamel.

Leather

Formerly a great industry in gold embroidered shoes flourished

at Lucknow. Ornamental slippers and sword sheaths were made

throughout Rajputana. Chanda and Brahmapur in Central Provinces

had a great reputation for the manufacture of native slippers. In

Mysore they were made at Molkalmuru.

Embroidery

It can be said that embroidery originated in India and is the

prerogative of women. It is an art where threads of cotton, silver,

gold, plastic etc. are interlaced with all kinds of textiles, leather,

felt, paper, cardboard, canvas; a large range in yarns is used which

can include 'aisal' and 'raffie' in addition to cotton, wool, gold and

silver thread and silk.

There are many places in India which are famous for different

kinds of embroidery. 'Chikan' is famous in Lucknow, Mirror work in

Rajasthan, Kasida in Bihar.

Indian embroidery is facing a crisis with traditional styles suf-

fering a setback under Western influences. Beautiful embroideries

like Kantha chamba, Phulkari and kasuti are being replaced by very,

ordinary Western styles and patterns. Beautiful lotus, alluring pea-

cock, grand elephant are giving way to anaemic rose buds encircling

English words like 'Welcome', 'Good Morning'.

Carved Ivory, Horn and Tortoise shell

Ivory was carved all over India, but chiefly at Amritsar, Patiala

(Punjab) and Delhi; at Benares (U.P.). Behrampore and

Mursheedabad in Bengal, at Surat, Ahmedabad, Daman, Balsar and

throughout Southern Gujarat and at Travancore (Kerala).

Vishakapatnam and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. The sub-

jects were generally rich caparisoned elephants, state gondolas in

gala trim, tigers, cows and peacocks all carved as statuettes, and

hunting, festive and ceremonial scenes and mythological subjects

carved in relief.

Ratlam in western India was noted for its costly ivory bracelets.

Bison horn was carved into figures and otherwise wrought at

Ratnagiri, Sawantwadi and elsewhere. Tortoise shell was worked

into armlets and bracelets and other ornaments in Gujarat and in the

city of Bombay.

Carved stone

The agate vases of Broach and Cambay have been famous

under the name of Murrhine vases. The best carnelians and agates

are found at Ratanpur near Broach, and are taken to Cambay to be

worked into cups, saucers, knife handles, paper weights, beads,

bangles and other ornaments. In Rajputana idols were largely

carved in white marble and brilliantly coloured in red, green, yellow

and blue paint and gold. In Nagpur the art of stone carving had

reached a high degree of perfection. The masons of Tumkur (now in

Karnataka state) were noted for the stone idols they carved.

Cottons

The principal cotton manufacturing centres were the Punjab,

Sindh, Rajputana, North-Western provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Cen-

tral Provinces, Berar, Bombay and Madras. The Punjab districts

bordering on the North-Western provinces and Rajputana were

famous for muslin turbans. In Sindh coarse cotton cloths called

dangaris were manufactured in every village and town. The printed

muslins and cotton cloths of Jaipur and Jodhpur were famous all over

India for the purity and brilliance of their dyes. The city of Bijnur

(North-Western Province) had a special reputation for the manu-

facture of the sacred thread of the Brahmans. Bengal was famous

for its celebrated Dacca muslins. A rare muslin was produced in

Dacca, which when laid wet on the grass became invisible and

indistinguishable from the evening dew was named Sabnam the

dew of the evening. Printing in gold leaf and silver leaf on cotton

cloth and silk was very common in Gujarat. Weaving of cotton cloth

was an important industry in Ahmedabad.

The chintzes of Masulipatam enjoyed a world wide celebrity.

They were prized for the freshness and permanency of their dyes.

Silk

Pure silk fabrics, striped, checked and figured were chiefly made

at Lahore, Agra, Benares, Hyderabad and Thanjavur. Gold and

silver were worked into the decoration of all the more costly loom'-

made garments and Indian piece goods either on the borders only or

in stripes throughout, or in drapered figures.

A kincob belonging to the Prince of Wales was one of the most

sumptuous ever seen in Europe. It was of Ahmedabad work, rich

with gold and gay with colours and was presented to the prince by

the young Gaikwad of Baroda. The stuff called soneri or "golden" is

richer still, but is not ornamented with a coloured border, it is simply

cloth of gold.

There was an Indian brocade called chand-tara "moon and

stars" because it was figured all over with representations of the

heavenly bodies. Athenaeus, AD 230 quotes from Duris (B.C. 285-

247) the description of a cloak worn by Demetius (B.C. 330) into

which a representation of the heavens, with the stars and 12 signs

of the Zodiac, was woven in gold.

The city of Murshidabad (Bengal) along with Benares and

Ahmedabad was famous all over the world for its gold brocades or

kincobs.

Carpets

Indian carpets were of two kinds

cotton and woollen