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Notes on Culture & Antique Art, Ethnic Decor & Vintage Fashion | Wovensouls Art Gallery

Indonesian Glass Paintings – Museum of Ethnology collection

Presenting here a new form of art that I had not been exposed earlier: Indonesian Glass Paintings. The subjects are always Indonesian folk stories and legends or a narrative of … Continue reading

March 10, 2023 · Leave a comment

The Nayanar Saints – Exploration through Art

Who expected to be learning history through art? And what will we do with learning all this history? I didn’t ever think it was important to know what other did … Continue reading

October 27, 2020 · 1 Comment

There’s Gold Plated Hotels and then there’s Antique Gold….

WoW! Promotional messages in my mailbox rarely get opened. But when a Gold Plated Hotel came up I was curious. I could imagine only a few places on earth where … Continue reading

July 29, 2020 · Leave a comment

Why paint on Yak Bone? A Himalayan Buddhist Thangka

Devotional Art comes in many forms in the Buddhist Himalayas. Thangkas are the most commonly known artworks and can be found on paper, cloth and walls in large display-worthy sizes. … Continue reading

May 17, 2020 · Leave a comment

Museum Walk – Asian Art Museum

An ambitious name that includes all of Asia. I wonder if they knew what they were getting into when they started … For Asia is the home of diversity and … Continue reading

September 24, 2019 · Leave a comment

A Weaving from Sumba

Coming across local names of textiles makes me realise that the 5.5 languages I know are totally inadequate. I should have learnt them all. For, every word, is descriptive and … Continue reading

September 20, 2019 · Leave a comment

Daily Art Fix – Stars in her EYES

“Stars in her eyes” – A bridal scarf from the Yao group. The textile is not old but has been made by an old experienced hand! Frame it / hang … Continue reading

April 2, 2019 · Leave a comment

Veneration of Human Spirit – Jain Painting

Heroic act spellbind us. And spur us on to do more, to push ourselves a little bit more and to give life the very best of ourselves. In Bombay, there … Continue reading

November 9, 2018 · Leave a comment

Fine Embroidery on Indigo from the Yao Hilltribes

Collected from the source a decade ago, these lovely vintage embroidered indigo costumes of the Yao people are currently on offer as a single lot at a discounted launch price … Continue reading

October 18, 2018 · Leave a comment

Rare Antique Company School Mica Paintings

In the early-mid 1800s Mica paintings were produced as souvenirs in Murshidabad, Patna and Benares in eastern India and Trichinopoly in South India. They imitated paintings on glass. Mica, a transparent … Continue reading

August 17, 2018 · 3 Comments

Butterflies of Indonesia

And just when I thought I was done with the lessons in the Fauna of lovely Indonesia, along comes another Batik that showcases the butterflies of the islands: And the … Continue reading

August 4, 2018 · Leave a comment

Wealth of  Ladakh 

Photos of photo prints of women wearing traditional jewelry at festivals.  The magnificentv Petak headdress has been discussed earlier.  But the  others have not received enough attention!  Here are sone … Continue reading

May 28, 2018 · Leave a comment

Manila Manton Shawls – Early Global Textiles

Presenting a small online exhibition of palimpsest textiles – with layers of art, craft and culture contained within: The Canton Shawl aka Manila Manton aka Fringed Flapper Shawl

April 12, 2018 · Leave a comment

Sentinels & Thresholds 

The threshold is a very important line in a traditional Indian home.  It is washed and decorated beautifully every day with auspicious symbols  drawn in powder by the woman of … Continue reading

February 28, 2018 · 4 Comments

Silken flowers from Gujarat India 

One more fabulous piece from Gujarat! At first I thought it was a print … until I read the explanatory note! ❤️ This textile is from the V & A … Continue reading

February 5, 2018 · Leave a comment

Soldiers in Silk – Guns & Roses

This mesmerising silk Amli embroidery on a square pashmina shawl is from the 1800s and depicts soldiers circling around a thriving establishment. Note the deliberately highlighted flowers (roses?) amidst the … Continue reading

February 4, 2018 · 1 Comment

A Kalamkari Coverlet – Antique Indian Textiles

A visit to any museum can be exhausting and the maximum I can handle is about 1 – 2 hours of exposure. In any given hall there are always too … Continue reading

January 23, 2018 · 2 Comments

The Bridal Sari of the erstwhile Queen of Sawantwadi 1922

I’ve seen a dozen or so amazing  antique zari  saris but none has been as unusual as this one seen in the museum of Sawantwadi, This shalu – a zari … Continue reading

December 27, 2017 · 6 Comments

Connecting the Dots of Gold

In the past, gold jewelry with motifs created by arranging tiny granules of  gold was popular in some parts of India. Ancient Greeks used the granulation process too but the … Continue reading

December 18, 2017 · 2 Comments

Encore! Wovensouls Sale at The Arts House

  After the successful September Exhibition at The Arts House, we received numerous requests for an encore! So this November, we will be offering some of our beloved antique works … Continue reading

November 1, 2017 · Leave a comment

Custodians of Antique Art

“We are only the ‘temporary’ custodians of these antique artworks that lived before us and will live on much after we are gone.” A nice quote to remind myself of … Continue reading

September 27, 2017 · Leave a comment

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