Rajasthan Testicles
Textiles
For hundreds of years people of Rajasthan have practiced and perfected the art of printing with vegetable dyes and mineral colours. Block printing, tie and dye work, heavily embroidered fabrics, motifs etc. are all included in Rajasthani textiles.
This art of handblock printing, dyeing and painting separately or together to produce attractive fabrics and patterns is very ancient in India. It flourished in different parts of India and the differences lay probably in techniques, ingredients and equipment. The value of a natural dye was appreciated greatly by calico painters. In spite of mechanical processes and synthetic dyes and chemicals, the art has survived in many regions. However, the extent to which it is practiced is less now. Synthetics are easier to make and maintain and are therefore preferred by the local population now. The art is kept alive by local artisans and the government is also helping by organising exhibitions etc. for such craftsmen. Reports of foreign travellers, reports on exhibitions of Indian art at different times, Indo-European textile history and reports from English factories are excellent sources because they give detailed information about printing, painting and dyeing in various regions of India existing during the 17 century and before.
Due to the recent spurt in the export market the textile industry of Rajasthan has been doing very well. Foreign buyers like to purchase such items as they are characteristic of Rajasthan and unique to the place. Bagru, a small village near Jaipur, is a place where this art is alive. There is a need felt to study the process and spread awareness about how this work is done. There was an investigation carried out during the years 1976-78. The present work on Bagru prints has been undertaken by Calico Museum of Textiles under the programme of Study of the Contemporary Textile Crafts of India publication. It deals with the technology, sequence of processes, ingredients used, analysis of
For hundreds of years people of Rajasthan have practiced and perfected the art of printing with vegetable dyes and mineral colours. Block printing, tie and dye work, heavily embroidered fabrics, motifs etc. are all included in Rajasthani textiles.
This art of handblock printing, dyeing and painting separately or together to produce attractive fabrics and patterns is very ancient in India. It flourished in different parts of India and the differences lay probably in techniques, ingredients and equipment. The value of a natural dye was appreciated greatly by calico painters. In spite of mechanical processes and synthetic dyes and chemicals, the art has survived in many regions. However, the extent to which it is practiced is less now. Synthetics are easier to make and maintain and are therefore preferred by the local population now. The art is kept alive by local artisans and the government is also helping by organising exhibitions etc. for such craftsmen. Reports of foreign travellers, reports on exhibitions of Indian art at different times, Indo-European textile history and reports from English factories are excellent sources because they give detailed information about printing, painting and dyeing in various regions of India existing during the 17 century and before.
Due to the recent spurt in the export market the textile industry of Rajasthan has been doing very well. Foreign buyers like to purchase such items as they are characteristic of Rajasthan and unique to the place. Bagru, a small village near Jaipur, is a place where this art is alive. There is a need felt to study the process and spread awareness about how this work is done. There was an investigation carried out during the years 1976-78. The present work on Bagru prints has been undertaken by Calico Museum of Textiles under the programme of Study of the Contemporary Textile Crafts of India publication. It deals with the technology, sequence of processes, ingredients used, analysis of