June 2004 - Issue 6
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Indian Culture
Rajasthani Palatial Style
Figure 8- Writing Corner
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Rajasthan, in the north of India, is home to innumerable palaces, both large and small. The most sumptuous of these are a mix of colonial opulence (Italian marble and stained glass windows) and Indian ornamentation (gilded walls and ceilings, and gold filigreed screens). Lapis and onyx Rajput miniatures decorate bedroom walls and crystal chandeliers and shining colored glass balls hang down in the spacious drawing rooms.
Figure 9 - Baithak
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A cool vanilla room at Neemrana Fort Palace punctuated by niches and a big flower-shaped arch. The leaf-patterned fabric is repeated in a quiet writing corner (Figure08) and in the main baithak, (Figure 09) which follows a traditional seating plan seen at concerts of classical music where connoisseurs recline on bolsters as they enjoy their favorite raga, or melody.
Goan Tilework
Figure 10 - Regency Style Sofa
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Most Indian table tops are beautifully hand-crafted. Tables inspired by Parsee, Indo-Iranian and colonial Goan influences have tops and sides finished with old, floral tiles in jeweled colors, a style that is becoming increasingly popular in all over India. Goa abounds in tables decorated with azulejos, decorative tiles which still carry their Portuguese name and which have the trademark torcidos e tremidos (meaning turned and twisted) legs.
Figure 11 - Gothic Door
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This lberian style became popular in Portugal during the Spanish occupation of 1500-1640 and as a result found its way to the former Portuguese colony of Goa. Contemporary designers draw on this lberian theme to create tables, chairs and consoles with custom0made tiles in complementary or mono chromatic colour schemes.
Rosa Costa Dias lives in this 19th century ancestral mansion in Goa, decorated in a mix of Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and European styles. The Regency-style sofa (Figure 10) catches a tropical sunbeam while the fresh line colour of arched Gothic door (Figure 11) ensures that the cool interior of the house remains calm and restful.
Figure 12 - Handiwork Chair
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Much of the handiwork of Gujarat shows off the carving skills of its local craftsmen whose specialist knowledge is handed down from generation to generation. Examples such as this wooden chair appear in many Indian homes.
Victorian Design Chair
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There are innumerable examples of Anglo-Indian chairs. While some chairs are based on Victorian design. The settee (right) from an Edwardian pattern, attests to years of family use by its well-worn velvet cushions.
Eclectic Style Chair
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The chair from a house in the north of India (right) is a typical example of Indian eclectic style, mixing Empire, Imperial and Indian elements in its combination of European structure and highly coloured Indian motifs of peacocks and tigers.