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.

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.

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.

Miscellaneous small

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

Carpets Indian carpets were of two kinds

cotton and woollen