Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Handcrafted splendour from India

More pics from India - I don't think I shared these here.

I went to a handicraft exhibition once, and here is a sampling of what I saw. All these amazing objects are handmade lovingly by craftspersons from all over the country. They travel together in organized groups across the land, so at any given 'mela' or fair you can see wonderful creations from many different states all at once.

There was pottery in the juiciest shades...mugs, platters, bowls, dishes - they had them all!





Dots, stripes, geometrics, flowers...YUM!



Lots and lots and lots of them...



Some kind of relief work in black and brown...



And pots with personality!



You can see the handcrafted (im)perfection in the glaze on the scalloped edges - you can tell this is the real thing.



I wish I had a better shot of these slippers - they are jute and cotton with bead and sequins sewn on - all made one by one by hand.



And hand-embroidered, sequin-encrusted, embroidered little clutches for the night out...



The fabrics were unbelievable. These stacks are pure cotton, hand-dyed, and printed by hand with wooden blocks. I actually saw this process several times when I was a kid and lived in the fabled Pink City of Jaipur, and it was simply fascinating.



And of course the silks and brocades, spun as if with light, although these were most likely not handmade. But they were fit for a princess, for sure!



Hope you enjoyed this!

1 comment:

Mary J. said...

Lovely pics!