Lord Venkateshvara at Tirupati with Goddess Padmavati Tanjore Painting | Traditional Colors With 24K Gold | Teakwood Frame | Gold & Wood | Handmade | Made In India

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The four-armed Lord stands straight, adorned with several ornaments, huge crown and flower garlands. The divine Sudarshan Chakra is held in His posterior right hand, the Panchajanya conch shell in the left hand. Around each of His anterior forearms, Sheshnaag, also called Anantashesha, is coiled. A wide white tilak (Urdhva Pundra) His forehead that also covers half of His nose. This bright tilak on the black complexioned face of the Lord sets off a unique and appealing contrast. Near the lotus feet of Lord Venkateshvara is seated Goddess Padmavati, His eternal consort, on a full-blown lotus. She is clad in beautiful embroidered saree and adorned with thick neckpieces around her neck. Each of her posterior hands carry a lotus, that represents pure consciousness. Being the Goddess of fortune, she blesses her devotees with wealth as she holds a pot in her anterior left hand from which gold coins pour down.

The artist has made Kirtimukha altar of the Lord and coated every bit of this painting with 24 Karat Gold. Several small green, white and red shining stones have been embedded in the coating in such a way that they make up the detailing in this painting and hence it appears eye-catching. 

Gilded Elegance: Unraveling the Artistry of Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting is a traditional form of art in the South Indian style and was started by the inhabitants of a small town known as Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. This gives it another name called “Thanjavur painting”. This painting draws its figures, designs, and inspiration from the time when Vedic culture was prevalent in India. Certain remarkable features of a Tanjore painting distinguish it from other paintings. Some of these are pure gold or gold foil coating on gesso work, the use of rich and vivid colors, and the inlay of cut-glass or semi-precious and precious stones. The subjects of most of the Tanjore paintings are Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main devotional figure is portrayed in the central portion of the painting and is usually surrounded by various secondary figures.

The process of making a Tanjore painting

The classic Tanjore paintings are done on wooden planks and hence are also referred to as Palagai Padam in South India (Palagai = Wooden plank, Padam = Picture). Creating a masterpiece is never an easy task but the skilled artists of Thanjavur have been following the tradition of making timeless Tanjore paintings for decades.

The making process begins with preparing the wooden board or canvas. The size of the board depends upon the choice of the patron. The next step is to paste cardboard over the wooden board and then a cotton fabric is stretched and pasted upon it using Arabic gum.

Now that the cloth is attached to the wooden panel, a rough sketch of the motifs and figure is drawn onto the fabric. After this, a paste of chalk powder and water-soluble adhesive is evenly applied over the base and smoothed.

Thereafter, the outlines which were made or traced using a stencil are now ready to be beautified and decked with various add-ons. The usual materials for decoration are cut-glass, pearls, semi-precious and precious gems, gold leaf, and laces. 22 or 18 Karat Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are especially inlaid in areas like pillars, arches, walls, thrones, and dresses. In the final step, the rest of the painting is filled with rich and striking colors such as shades of red, blue, and green. Formerly, the artists used natural colors like vegetable and mineral dyes instead of chemical paints. The entire painting is then cleaned and refined to give a flawless finished look.

Since the making of a single piece of Tanjore painting requires a complex and elaborate process, the artists usually take at least one or two months to complete it. The use of pure gold foil and gems for beautification is a characteristic of an authentic Tanjore painting. Due to this, Tanjore paintings last for generations without getting tarnished and are much more expensive than general paintings. Though the art form has undergone various changes and technique modifications over the years, it continues to attract the hearts of art lovers.