Wednesday, December 30, 2009

'Crafty' Animals

Ever since prehistoric days, man has always depicted animals in his drawings -


And now through his craft . 

Handcrafted in Kashmir, this quaint tea cozy is embroidered with wool fibers. Legend is that the first cozy was crafted of wool by a farmer's wife. When coming in from work, her husband threw his woolen cap on the table and it landed on the teapot. Much to their surprise, the cap kept the tea steaming hot for some time. 


Leather craft from Nimmalakunta, a village from Andhra Pradesh.  The craft of making leather puppets or Tolu Bommalu, which they practice, is quite an old craft.  Because of low demand for the puppets, most of craftsmen have shifted to making lampshades and other decorative artefacts.

Gujarat applique is mainly based on patchwork , has a distinctive style of its own.  Coloured and patterned fabric is finely cut in different sizes and shapes and sewn together on a plain background . The stitches in gaudy colours are not hidden and add to the beauty of the patchwork.






And the wooden animal figurines with brass inlay work.

And Madhubani paintings from Bihar. Cotton is wrapped around a bamboo stick to serve as a brush, which is dipped in colors and applied on to the fabric. The outline is done with double lines. No shading is done. The gaps between the two lines are filled with cross or straight lines.

Wrought iron figures - Bastar Tribal arts               

Papier-Mache figures
Only a few ..... the list is endless.
Pictures taken at Dili Haat, Delhi and Shilparamam, Hyderabad.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

16 comments:

  1. This is simply awesome ! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I miss all the craft fairs I used to go to in India. Love all the pictures you put up. Thank you for that taste of desh.
    Wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous new year. :) Keep the musing coming.

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  3. Super. Those pictures are lovely.

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  4. Beautiful handicrafts.

    Wish you Happy & Prosperous New Year.

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  5. Thanks for sharing..I love handicrafts..that picture of fish is so fascinating.

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  6. forgot to wish you:)

    Wish you a very happy year ahead!!!

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  7. Beautiful pictures, Radha! Thanks for sharing.

    All of us wish you and your family and happy and peaceful new year, Radha! God bless you!

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  8. Thanks for your comments.
    Best wishes for a happy new year to you and your family.
    If I had your email ID I would have sent the new year grtgs directly
    kpartha12@gmail.com

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  9. Such lovely art pieces. I keep collecting one or two where ever I go. :)

    Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

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  10. Really nice post, Radha! I have a 'Tree of Life' in leather but haven't been able to find a framer who can frame it without its creases.

    Happy new year to you!

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  11. Nice collection of 'crafty' animals. You must like them to snap them wherever you go. And the couple of lines about each craft is nice.

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  12. Kavi, Jaya, SG,Rajesh, Antarman,Sandhya, KP, Indrani,sra,Kallu - Thanks. I love Indian handicrafts.

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  13. wow...the tea cozy is damn fancy. i miss the fairs in India....and all the vibrant colors

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  14. I'm late here, but I loved the pictures in this post.

    The tea cosy is lovely and so is the story behind it!

    Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  15. Informative! I liked the anecdote about the "tea cozy"

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  16. Beautiful and very creative. The collections show how creativity spreads across regions and peoples.

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