Indian Applied and Decorative Arts
Indian Applied and Decorative Arts covers textiles, jewellery, pottery, and metalware. The exam tests region-technique matching and the social function of objects.
Core rules
- Textiles: Banarasi brocade uses silk and zari; Kanchipuram silk uses contrast borders and temple motifs; Paithani from Maharashtra has peacock and lotus motifs; Bandhani is tie-dye; Patola is double ikat; Chanderi is fine cotton or silk; muslin is very fine cotton; Kalamkari uses pen and resist dye.
- Jewellery: kundan sets uncut stones in gold; meenakari is enamel; jadau is embedded stone; temple jewellery features deities.
- Pottery: Harappan painted pottery, Painted Grey Ware, Northern Black Polished Ware, terracotta, Jaipur blue pottery, and Khurja ware.
- Metalware: Bidri from Bidar has silver inlay on a blackened alloy; Dhokra is lost-wax tribal casting; Moradabad is known for brass; Thanjavur for metalwork.
Worked example
A black metal huqqa base has silver inlay in floral patterns. Reasoning: the blackened alloy and silver inlay identify Bidri ware from Bidar. The technique is not meenakari, which is enamel on gold, and not Dhokra, which is lost-wax casting.
Traps
Do not call Bandhani a woven pattern; it is tie-dyed. Do not confuse Patola double ikat with Paithani interlocked tapestry weave. Do not treat Bidri as pottery. Do not assume all jewellery is kundan.
Exam focus
Match textile to technique, jewellery to setting style, and metalware to region. Explain how materials and patronage shape function.