 |
 Blue Pottery An art form, not local to India; it has its origins in a charming tale dating from the days of Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of the modern capital city of Rajasthan. The heard of the kite prowess of the two boys who, it appeared, added quartz glaze to their string to strength it. On investigating, he discovered that the tradition of quartz pottery was of Persian origin and invited the artisans to his atelier in Jaipur and so begun the blue pottery school of Jaipur.
|
 |
Fabrics For the centuries, the Rajasthani printer has perfected his art, mixing vegetable dyes mineral colors to arrive at hues and tones that positively glow. The yellow and red are combined with such confidence that they look as if they were always meant to be complementary colors. The block printers, principally from Sanganer and Bagru, both, near Jaipur, create, beside length of textiles for stitching up as dresses, the linen for which these regions are famous. Tie and Dye Principally, Rajasthan is known for its tie and dye technique in which fabrics are tied in small twists using thread. These are then dipped into vats with their array of bright colors to create a mosaic of patterns. Called Bandhani, these textiles, mostly used for sarees and odhnis, are done in different patterns.
|
Furniture
and Wood Carving Rajasthan's
furniture reflects some of its recent past. There is a whole tradition of made-as-old
furniture in which doors, windows and even wooden jharokhas(window frames),
chairs, benches and more are made to resemble the furniture that was in vogue in mansions
of medieval times. Barmer, near Jaisalmer is
a popular center for the wooden furniture and Jodhpur
is known for its old furniture.A tradition also exists of sandalwood carving, which is finely executed, with figures of humans and animals. On a more popular level, you will find everything from camels and horses to elephants and parrots that are carved in the round and then brightly painted. |
