“The British were not India's only patrons of elegant silver.
Native princes - always engaged in dynamic cultural interchanges with their British overlords - also commissioned silver of the highest quality. Such patronage was nowhere more prominent than in western India, where the rulers of the state of Kutch were champions of their silversmiths. These leaders ensured their region's silver became the best known of India's styles through sponsorship at international exhibitions, beginning with London's Great Exhibition of 1851. This stylishly whimsical tea service in the shape of richly feathered quails was produced by Oomersee Mawjee Jr., son of Kutch's most renowned master silversmith, after he shifted to the employ of another western Indian ruler, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda.”
Ms. Coll. 390, Item 2676, is a picture book, containing drawings and miniature paintings of birds and animals, mythological beings, scenes of daily life, court scenes, and more. Many of the pictures are unfinished, upside-down or overpainted, suggesting a work in progress or a sketchbook. It is written in Sanskrit, circa 1700-1850.
Illustration entitled "The Return of Rama" by artist K. Venkatappa from Sister Nivedita's and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy's Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914).
Panja is a weaving technique from Haryana in India. It is mostly used for weaving light rugs called dhurries. It gets its name from a claw-like tool called panja which is used to beat the weft threads into the warp to adjust them there. Panja rugs are famous for their lightness and portability. They are made from cotton or wool or jute. The designs are usually geometric. In the past, when these rugs adorned the palaces of Rajasthan the designs were more elaborate and resembled Persian rugs, however, over time as demands increased and rugs became common for household use, the designs simplified into the distinct geometric form they are recognised for today.
a love letter to pavitr's character, my culture, my food and family in general💟
few days ago I asked on twt and insta what food to feed baby pavitr... there were different answers and I tried to include them all💕
it also became a bit of a love letter to my culture... I am far away from India but food as always been a connection to there(even tho I miss local food so much) I got a bit emotional while drawing ngl🥹
edit:
also heads up... I actually never drawn and painted food before. like. not seriously. I don't really draw food. so if you're not sure what the dishes are supposed to represent (which is totally understandable), you can check the ALT caption! it made me go insane but it was fun i will also add an alternative version of the drawing without the light blue shadows and without the halftone:
maharaja fateh singh crossing a river during the monsoon, by shivalal, ca. 1893, 82.6 × 158.8cm. city palace museum, udaipur.
painters in early/modern india sought to animate the intense presence of lightning during the monsoon season with a tactile metaphor—its strike was like a biting snake.