Champleve Enamel
Champleve Enamel
The revival of Meenakari art
Human being has always been the admirer of beauty and creativity, since time immemorial. This is one of his qualities which discriminate him from animals. Due to this admiration, time to time, man has developed several beautiful arts. You can see the samples of these arts in the remains of ancient civilisations. India has always been accepted as a land of art and craft, by the world. The samples of arts and crafts can be seen in ancient and medieval Indian civilisations. These arts and crafts include woodwork, textile designing, pottery, Meenakari etc. These beautiful art works have always been a source of attractions for the tourists. As a matter of fact, Meeanakari is one of the arts which has created a great attraction among the art lovers. This is the art of enamel work in which metals are decorated and polished in different colours. It is a traditional art of various regions of India such as Rajasthan. This beautiful art is believed to be introduced by Mughals in the 16th century and Maharaja Man Singh I of Ambar in the late 17th century.
The designs are enameled on various things such as beautiful jewelery items made up of gold and silver, wooden work etc. Furthermore, the Meenakari show pieces are also used at a large amount at home for the purpose of decoration. These decorative items may be brass bowls, a showpiece in the shape of an animal or a bird and so on. The traditional Meenakari designs have been revived by various firms and individuals. These prints are used on different metals such as gold, silver, brass, wood, etc. Decoration of jewelery items etc., are some of the tasks for which these prints are being used.
A high degree of skill is required for Meenakari designs. These prints are made by skillful artists, known as ‘meenakar’. The metal on which the design has to be made is fixed on a lac stick. Then, beautiful prints of different flowers, fish, birds etc., are made on the metal. Several beautiful colours are then poured and every colour needs to be throwed individually. Several types of designs are made on the metal surface. Several styles have been developed based on different regions. These styles are categorised as Varanasi design, Rajasthan design and so on. These prints can also be seen on various boxes too. Several contrast colours are beautifully designed on these boxes. Prints of birds, flowers etc., are very often on these items. Beautiful peacock design is very much in trend these days.
There are various techniques developed in this. For instance, there is a technique called Bandh mina khaka in which an illustration in transparent colour is surrounded by an opaque enameled print. Additionally, in the case of jewelery, metals like gems, stones etc., are also applied. In order, to satisfy various aspects, a meenakar has to work with various other designers such as goldsmith, engraver, designer for applying gems, etc. Rajasthan is the popular for its royal Meenakari tradition. Udaypur, Jodhpur, Jaipur etc., are some of the places where this work is mainly done. Almost every region in Rajashtan adopt different techniques and styles. For example, in Jaipur, the jewelers use the style named as champleve.
These designs are getting popular among the art lovers in India. These are being used for various purposes by the people. You can see the Meenakari show pieces as decorative items in drawing rooms of many houses. Modern and traditional Meenakari designs are often seen on the bangles of many traditional women in India. A lot of things enhanced with these beautiful prints are also being exported to abroad by various business people and firms. These items have become the main items of attractions in some of the fairs, organised in India time to time. As long as the art will exist on earth, the beautiful Meenakari designs will continue to attract the people from every part of the world.
About the Author
The author is a specialist in retail writing. Her writing skills reflect the outcome of years of exposure to the retail industry. Working with retail giants as a consultant has enriched her knowledge base and her passion for writing got fire. She can be read regularly on RetailsDirect.com. For details please visit: www.retailsdirect.com Online Shopping Store, Interior Decor Items.
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