It is an understated number, the colour palette comprising of a few pastel basics. Slender red-bordered paisleys in all their elongated beauty, their pale blue bellies embroidered with miniscule flowers. The same are punctuated with yellow and light pink maple leaves with similar embroidery within their silhouettes. The sandy base colour brings out the beauty of the same. It is the density of the tribal sozni handiwork - which is, again, endemic to Kashmir - that makes this shawl a sumptuous buy.
It is the finish that makes the pashmina shawl worth it. Handpicked from the looms of Kashmir, this is a particularly youthful number. The singular kani weave is the weave of choice employed by artisans to work with pashmina. Each colour that you see on this shawl - from the foundation cream to the ultra-feminine pastels it is superimposed with - has been woven in separately with bobbins ('kani' is the Kashmiri word for 'tiny sticks'), leading to the meticulous designs on the foreground. Numerous tendrils in shades and tints of green fill up the spaces amidst the riot of coloured petals, making this an ideal accompaniment to brightly coloured bridal sarees and suits. A row of short, dense tassels graces each of the edges of this shawl, which would lend to your ensemble a hint of the fun and the flirtatious.
When you drape a Baluchari from our collection, you step out wearing a piece of itihasa. The border and endpiece of this saree are embroidered with scenes from the Mahabharata, arranged in templedoor-shaped panels. Luxuriant gold thread interspersed with black looks practically regal against the deep, fermented pink of the base colour. The field is superimposed with a coat of tiny paisleys; in fact, the style of booties on this number makes it a great one to wear to a wedding or a traditional evening do.
He is seated in lalitasana, upon the bed of a gigantic young lotus. From the tints of pastel pink to the serrations on each petal, it is a realistic bloom of great beauty. The chubby child’s body of the Lord is clad in a green silk dhoti and bedecked with gorgeous gold shringar, fit for a parlokiya prince. In His posterior hands He holds a conch and a lotus; one anterior hand He raises in blessing, while with the other He obviously cradles a laddoo.
Lord Ganesha’ love of laddoos adds to His childlike demeanour and endears Him to devotees. Together with His adorably plump form, His wisdom and innocence, and the unassuming elephant head, He is the baby that is subject to the maternal attention of all. Given the elements of His ionography brought out in this work, it is a fine example of India’s inspired sculptural tradition.
The colour of dark ochre earth adds to the gravity of the statement this saree makes. The same is complemented by a border of pale gold zariwork, finished by a piping of dark red. In keeping with the mood of this number, minimalistic booties grace the field of this saree. Simplistic red and gold flowers across the field and endpiece, and miniscule ones down the pleats. Team this with some simple gold pieces for an understated elegance.
Bangalore is famous for producing the fine weave of the famous Uppada sarees. A geographical indicator of the East Godavari district, these silk sarees are the more understated versions of the sumptuous silks of the South (think Kanjeevarams, Mysore silks, and Kondrads). No Indian bridal trousseau is complete without a handful of carefully selected Uppadas, as they are indispensable for one’s post-wedding obligations. The one you see on this page is fit to be worn to poojas as well as formal gatherings and weddings.
The pale charcoal field features dense floral tendril motifs. The same is superimposed with large gold lotus-shaped booties. More gold zariwork (gold-thread embroidery, a distinctly Persian influence on Indian heritage fashion) is to be found in dense proportions on the thick border of this number. The infusion of sindoori pink on the endpiece adds a world of feminine appeal to the colour palette. Zoom in on the luxuriant motifs woven onto the pink of the endpiece and the fine motifs along the border.
Lord Buddha holds a sacred place in the heart and mind of those who are deep followers of Buddhism. Although Buddha is always shown with the basic iconographic aspects, as also shown in this brass statue, but what makes this Buddha sculpture so attractive and worth purchasing is the realistic carvings of his expressions, accurate shape and size of body parts, natural and smooth curves and last but not the least is the stylized robe inlayed in multiple colors.
Hoysala is the term used for the architecture and the iconography that developed in present-day Karnataka under the patronage of the Hoysala dynasty rulers. Having flourished in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, its structures stand as testimony to a Karnata Dravida aesthetic. The murti that you see on this page depicts the Devi Mariamman, who is the equivalent of Devi Parvati or Devi Shitala of the North. From Her iconography to every other detail of the sculpture, She looks like She has been handpicked from the garbhagriha (inner precinct) of an ancient Hoysala temple.
The iconography of Radha-Krishna is an image of undying romance. They are always in close quarters with each other, often unabashedly so as could be seen in this watercolour. Her delicate pink silks float about Her as She motions with the swing, contrasting sharply with the peeta (dense natural golden yellow) of His dhoti. The adornments of their youthful bodies, the bejewelled filigree crowns on their adorably identical black-haired heads, and the structure of the swing have all been embossed with pure gold.
The almost monotone background, predominated by shades and tints of green, brings out the vibrance of the pastels and the metallics. The lush canopy of the tree spreads out over their heads across the canvas. The stream emerging from the verdant mounds in the distance flows all the way to the foreground at the lovers’ feet. Doves and parrots and richly plumaged peacocks; lily pads and blushing lotuses and wild berry shrubs.
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