19 Sep 2014 Unique Art of India

India is the land of handicraft and India is also the land of elephants! Wondering what is the connection between these two? Well, here is the answer. Indian handicraft industry produces most diversified and unique crafts. And unique animal sculptures are also a rare theme in the handicraft industry. This means, say for example a sculptor can craft an elephant on wood or stone or ceramic, but the way it is crafted, is the uniqueness in it. So, while elephant is a very common animal of India, its hand crafted sculptures are not always so commonly done. There are very different ways of sculpting an elephant also. Filigree is one such unique handicraft of India.

Filigree is a type of carving on wood or metal where the arty blocks are sketched and then carved out to give a hollow feel to it. At first this delicate kind of carving was tried on jewelry metalwork, usually of gold and silver. It remained popular in Indian and other Asian metal workers. Later on, it started getting popular as well in Italian and French metalwork from 1660 to the late 19th century. This is the story of the modern times. But Archaeological findings say that in ancient Mesopotamia, filigree was incorporated into jewelry since 3,000 BC.

Marble Carved Elephant from the Indian Handicraft Industry

The rest of the world has witnessed filigree work on jewelry mostly, but in India’s Rajasthan, this craft is practised and mastered not only on metal but on wood and stone like marble as well. For this reason the craft is no more restricted to only jewelry but has extended its wings in sculptures too. Rajasthani handicraft industry creates beautiful hand crafted elephant sculptures on filigree technique.

Lucky Trunk Up Wooden Elephant from India

So, of you are bored with the same style of wood carved animals, then explore our unique style of animal carvings here in Craft Montaz. Add some fabulously crafted unique art of India for your home décor collection!

By: Pushpita, a freelance writer on world handicrafts and lifestyle. Pushpita holds a Masters in English literature and is a rich media professional.