Artistic Leather Craft |
 
|
A fine example of contemporary art and
craft, the Bengal leather crafts owe their widespread popularity and development due to
some innovative work done by gifted artists at Santiniketan.
| Brass
& Bell Metal |
|
A many-splendoured craft
of West Bengal. Handed down to generations of metalworkers. From domestic utensils for
everyday use to vessels for observance of rituals, the emphasis is always on strength of
form. Copper, one of the earliest known metals was transformed into alloys like bronze,
brass and bell metal by Indian metallurgists of Harappan times.
Archaeological evidence indicates that
Bengal’s metallurgists too were practicing the art and science of metal workings as
early as 2nd millennium B.C.
Artisans of Bankura, Bishnupur, Ghatal
and Chandanpur in Midnapore, have a superb lineage of shaped and engraved brass and bell
metal work.
Cane & Bamboo |
|
From the depths of time
and the earliest chapters of civilization, comes a craft that endures. Bengal’s very
own tradition in creating everyday and fancy articles from bamboo and cane, is rich and
varied.
More than 35,000 artisans practise this
craft in different districts of rural Bengal.
Ceramic |
|
This is a tradition built
up in contemporary times-several centuries of interaction with foreign craftsmen and a
legacy left us by many years of British rule. The craft, however, is today flourishing in
and around Kolkata and in some places in Birbhum district. New ceramic technologies have
joined hands with a heritage of handicrafts to produce a range of fine, glazed ceramic
products for decoration, dolly, toys, wall-hangings, household pottery and industrial
application.
Clay Dolls |
|
Clay fantasies of
real-life stylized, sometimes even graphic in their representations, mark traditional
Indian clay dolls and toys. But the dolls and figurines of Krishnanagar in Bengal, are
unique in their realism and the quality of their finish. Patronized by Maharaja
Krishnachandra himself in the late 18th century, they truly represent a
breakaway from the traditional form.
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