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

The Thanjavur Maratha Palace

Every now and then, I come across interesting people I yearn to meet. No – not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. But people like Dostoevsky. Lee Kuan Yew. Chanakya. The … Continue reading

August 18, 2022 · 1 Comment

Hybrid Art 8 – Gurmukhi Script in a Hindu Prayer Book

I am not a formal student of Indian Miniature paintings but have seen a few here and there and can now identify  the Kashmir style of art. These paintings are … Continue reading

October 20, 2019 · Leave a comment

Hybrid Art 7 – Kashmir Shawl

Finding pieces that are ‘pure’ in their identity is always a pleasure. But finding pieces that have some hybrid qualities adds excitement to the process of discovery of the character … Continue reading

October 12, 2019 · Leave a comment

Hybrid Art 6 – Swat Pillow Case

A hybrid textile that memetically straddles two worlds … The motif is from Caucasus region and often seen in wool rugs while the execution in this piece from the Swat … Continue reading

September 30, 2019 · Leave a comment

Ruins of Ladakh

Over the 10+ road trips through several naalas of Ladakh, several ruins of old buildings would zip past my car at a height or at a distance that was two … Continue reading

August 7, 2019 · 1 Comment

Lion of Punjab – Sher-e-Punjab

Punjab – the land that has been facing invasions for centuries – values bravery and courage. And the lion offers an excellent metaphor for these values. Maharana Ranjit Singh was … Continue reading

July 8, 2019 · 5 Comments

Tears in Heaven

We never love quite as much as at the time of saying goodbye…. I loved this piece – I loved the artist who lived a hundred years ago – I … Continue reading

March 29, 2019 · Leave a comment

Learning History through Art – Sikh Rule in Kashmir

Exploring an example of Sikh influence in Kashmir through illuminated paintings in the Kashmir school from a Bhagavat Gita manuscript written in Sikhi Gurmukhi script

March 12, 2019 · 1 Comment

Conversations – The Soul of Punjab

A few photos of the grand old women and men who were young at the time of the “hallaa” … the Partition.

Over deep conversations about phulkaris, over chai & pakodas followed by parathas & butter, we bonded – discussing the culture of their youth, of their childhood homes and the culture of the time.

February 21, 2019 · 2 Comments

Opium Culture – History in Art

There is too much that I do not know anything about and the role that opium played in the history of China is one of them. Were it not for … Continue reading

December 24, 2018 · 1 Comment

A New Mystery -Ancient Terracotta Blocks 

This was sourced by the London flea-market dealer from Pakistan. And when my eyes fell upon it, it was retrieved with difficulty from the back of  a shelf.  Lying in … Continue reading

May 23, 2018 · 1 Comment

How did Elibelinde travel to the Swat Valley?

One more example of migration of cultural memes that might hold a clue to historical events

March 18, 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

The Jehangir Spinel

Owned and bequeathed by Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb this amazing Spinel is now in the  Victoria & Albert museum in London. Surprisingly it has been described by the V&A … Continue reading

February 10, 2018 · Leave a comment

Protected: I met Begum Hazrat Mahal

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January 27, 2018 · Enter your password to view comments.

Mother & Child – A Crime Scene in Silk

Clearly this is a part of a larger legend that I am not familiar with yet. And so the cultural crime story intrigues me as much as the art and … Continue reading

December 2, 2017 · 3 Comments

Online Exhibition – Tampan Ship Cloths from Sumatra

Introduction The magnetic appeal of Textile Arts, to me, is directly proportional to – the art – the craft – the symbolism – the cultural story and – the usage … Continue reading

July 22, 2017 · 1 Comment

Textiles and more in the Kerta Gosa Museum – Bali

On my visit to the small museum in Kerta Gosa, Bali (2015) I did not expect to find any textiles. paintings yes – because that area is famous for paintings. … Continue reading

April 8, 2017 · Leave a comment

Parsis and the Opium Trade

Yesterday at a condolence visit, the conversation with my top mentors, inadvertently veered into the subject of collectibles and we spoke of many random subjects such as his encounter with … Continue reading

July 24, 2016 · 2 Comments

Chasing a Faded Memory

  When I was little, to entertain me and to occupy me, my grandmother used to draw out a picture on a notebook or a scrap of paper and ask … Continue reading

November 25, 2015 · Leave a comment

Anatolia Diaries

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone Interesting Istanbul 1 Interesting Istanbul 2 A Walk through the Grand Bazar of Istanbul Intrigued by the past – Cappadocia Art … Continue reading

July 25, 2015 · 1 Comment

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