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At its
commencing place Gesso painting is also known as Nakashi art. The
technique was used to decorate the ceilings, pillars and walls, of
Bikaner’s Junagarh Fort and Anup Mahal with magnificent golden
patterns of floral and animal forms, often set against summarizing in
bright colours. Nakashi work on camel leather became popular during
the time of British in India,Camel hide was light and tough, and
saddles and bags that were normally used for transferring water became
ordinary bases for Nakashi work in this desert kingdom and neighboring
areas. Leather work is an old craft in India that starts as a cottage
industry, and continues, in such huge areas.
Leather work as a cottage industry worked with different groups who
are performing diverse roles in the preparation of the leather, and in
devising products from leather. The fact that India has a very huge
livestock population is in no contributed way to the productive output
and continuity of this craft. All over the world the Gesso Work of
Rajasthan is well-known. Bikaner is the heart of Gesso work in the
state and a fine sample of such treated camel leather decorations is
shown in the palace of the city. Probably the most commonly used gesso
products are the camel-hide water containers of Bikaner, called Kopi.
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The craft
process starts with the preparing of a clay pattern on which a piece
of previously cleaned and softened camel hide is extended. The piece
is preserved in the sun for a maximum of 48hours before the pattern is
removed. Then starts the akbara, or design making process, wherein the
design is decorated onto surface using a paste of powdered bricks
mixed with jiggery and fenugreek seed powder. The coloured are first
painted in, followed by gold detailing and slight black outlines that
help to define the designs and background. Finally, the ground colour,
generally red and green, is applied and the whole surface is covered
with traditionally prepared shiny surface called Chandras. The most
popular gesso compositions at Bikaner is the taarabandi, a star
decorated sky and naqqashi, a design of minute flowers and motifs.
One of the supreme crafts to become known from Bikaner, the inner hide
of the camel is used for the purpose. The hide is scratched till its
paper is thin and transparent. It is then patterned into different
types of hip flasks, lamp shades, perfume phials or vases. It is then
painted over with fine gesso work using gold to lend richness to the
otherwise bright reds and greens used in the work.
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