Exotic Art from an Exotic Era
We all read the newspapers even today. But in the past 4-5 years, newspapers have been replaced by the internet as my main source of news. By the time I … Continue reading
Antique Thai Calendar Paintings
The logic of the twelve Thai Zodiac signs follows the logic of Chinese zodiac signs and defines a person’s fortune based on the ‘year’ or birth rather than the ‘month’ … Continue reading
Little Purses for Big Money
Coin purses from the olden days …. When the coins were small & made of gold & silver and their value was huge! When there was no fiat money or … Continue reading
Protective Spirits from the Past
There are Dayak Baby Carriers and then there are Dayak Baby Carriers. Spirits in some recent ones are wearing clothing and jewelry – like vests and underwear! Maybe it … Continue reading
An Affluent Community Endangered?!
Parsis or Zorastrians number only about 75000 worldwide and in spite of being one of the most affluent communities in the world, they are an endangered ethnic group. They have … Continue reading
A Precious Package for a Precious Bundle – Dayak Baby Carrier
One more precious carrier for a precious baby! Over a dozen types of trade beads, some extremely fine, some multicolored, some from one of the 3 groups of mutisalah beads, … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Ceremonial Sumatra Weaving
A stunning festive weaving from pre-1900 Sumatra
INVITATION – Antique Indian Textile Art @ The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
BAZAR: SAT & SUN 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th November 4pm-8pm A mini-exhibition will showcase some textile masterpieces from the past. Some pieces from the wovensouls collection will also be available … Continue reading
Mochi or Cobbler Embroidery of Gujarat
Anyone who knows Gujarati or Hindi knows that Mochi means a cobbler. So when I first heard my dealer say that a category of very fine embroidery is known as … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – A Thousand Silent Bells
Heavy Silent Jhanjhar from Maharashtra, Early 1900s The latest addition to the Wovensouls collection Read more about Payal Traditions here. jm Oct 2015.
DAILY ART FIX – AN ARTWORK A DAY
An addict constantly needs a fix to keep him stable. Me – in moments of extreme stress I find solace & peace in viewing works of traditional art. In normal … Continue reading
Karakalpak Motifs – Art in Geometry
Sometimes it is enough to just enjoy the visual without knowing the meaning… View the complete piece and other images here on wovensouls,com … Continue reading
Love is Blind – Color-Blind | A Lesson in Love & Textile Art
When one studies and examines an object as often as one breathes, it is hard to be blind to its flaws. But yet, with a little insight & imagination, it … Continue reading
Anarchy & Chaos in a Tribal Textile!
Most traditional textiles seem to follow the patterns that are unique to their tribe. These patterns probably began with some seed of an idea and then evolved over generations to … Continue reading
Daggers in the Heart – Textile Art to die for!
The Ain-i Akbari manuscript, a part of the Akbarnama volumes written by Abu’l-Fazl in 1621 documents various weapons used in the Mughal era. Among the weapons described is the Jamdhar … Continue reading
DAILY ART FIX – Gujarat Textile Art
Vintage “Chakla / Chaakda” Wall artwork in the form of cotton embroidery. From Gujarat, India. [VTI-719 on the wovensouls website. ] jm Jan 2015
Art from the Swat Valley – an external article
Recommended reading on Swat Valley: Link to An article by Doris Srinivasan To view textile artworks from Swat & around please click on this link.
Jatripatti – Antique Traditional Paintings of Puri, Odisha
This style of painting that has a subject focus of the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, India, is now extinct unfortunately. Hindus have four important pilgrimage spots -known as … Continue reading
Royal Cradles of Rajasthan
As I walk through the Mehrangarh Fort Museum hall exhibiting royal cradles, I cannot help but think about babies & nurturing & child-raising, about the tenets of parenting and the … Continue reading
The Dilemma of Fragments
Age destroys many materials. Textiles succumb. They fade, they see wear and tear through usage, their dyes eat into the cloth slowly over time, and direct light exposure takes the … Continue reading
Moved to another loving home
Souls that stole our hearts the moment we set eyes upon them, souls that bind us to them with attachment, souls that gave us years of enjoyment and delight, … Continue reading
