Miniature paintings- an exquisite and painstaking craft July 26 2021

Miniature painting is a delicate and painstaking craft requiring great skill, precision, finesse and restraint.

Miniature paintings today are made using the same techniques and skills used since the 16th century, passed down through generations.

In a nutshell: to make these minuscule masterworks, the artist uses superfine brushes composed of the hair of a squirrel’s tail, and depending on the painting, commercial and/or naturally derived colors are used (such as blue from lapis and indigo, green from malachite, and verdigris, burnt conch shell for white, geru and red carmine for red, etc.) The base is generally a locally procured handmade paper.

Stone from which colors are extracted

Various natural colors are obtained from different rocks. These are further processed to form usable colors.

Colors are often mixed in shell, since their surface is smooth; they don’t react and also do not absorb the color.

Mixed/extracted colours are stored and used out of a shell.

Special brushes made out of squirrel hair are used for making painting.

Master chitrakar/artist engaged in painting artworks that will be used in our jewellery collection. After the outlines, light colors are filled in first, followed by dark shades and then the detailing.

We can't wait to unveil our new collection, The Miniaturist. Each piece painstakingly hand painted. Small-batch, limited edition pieces that are heirloom-worthy and can be cherished for a long time.

Photo courtesy: D'source and Lai