THEWA ART

Introduction

Thewa is a special art of jewelry making which

involves embossing of intricately worked-out
sheet gold on molten glass. It evolved in
Pratapgarh district, Rajasthan India. Its origin dates
back to the Mughal age.
 Process
■ Thewa is a traditional art of fusing 23K Gold with multicoloured glass. The glass is
treated by a special process to have glittering effects, which in turn highlights the
intricate gold work. The whole Thewa piece is hand crafted over a period of one month
by skilled artisans.
■ Thewa, an art that pulsates with life, caught seemingly in movement, in motifs used on
jewellery, which shows the culture, heritage and tales of romance and valour
of Rajasthan with nature and happiness depicting the art of the fine craftsmanship.
■ The process of making thewa work is detailed; time consuming and intricate, taking up
to a month to complete each piece. It starts with broken pieces of terracotta, finely
ground, mixed with chemicals and oil to produce a thick paste. The paste spread on a
wooden base has a 23carat gold sheet of 40gauge thickness set onto the mixture and
the free hand design etched on it. Black paint spread over the gold sheet that highlights
the design so it becomes clearly visible for further detailed work with fine tools. The
craftsman removes the excess gold creating a design often based on the Hindu
mythology or Mughal court scenes, historical events or with flora and fauna motifs.
 Origin

Nathu ji Sani invented the process; the secrets of the craft that passed directly from father to
son over the generations remains it in the family only, who call themselves 'Raj-Sonis’. Many
of the members from this family have been awarded by UNESCO, National & State
Government. Some of the finest examples of this unique form of decorative art are in local
museum collections in India as well as abroad including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and
the Victoria & Albert.
 Other Origin
■  THEWA is a word from the local Rajasthani language which literally means “SETTING”. Thewa is an
art of fusing 23ct gold with multicolored glass. It is a very detailed and intricate process.
■ A 23ct gold piece is first beaten into a very thin sheet. Intricate designs are inscribed onto these gold
sheets using very fine chisel. This gold sheet, called as “Thewa Ki Patti” is fixed to a lac-resin
compound spread on a board by slightly warming the lac and then pressing the gold sheet onto it. An
open work pattern is pierced thru these gold sheets placed on the lac-resin covered board
by knocking off the portions which ultimately creates the intricate design. The gold sheet is gently
peeled off by heating it. 
■  Like the rest of Rajasthan handicrafts, the glass works of Pratapgarh are unique in both design and
usage. Besides beautiful and traditional items such as handicraft items, glass photo frames, trays,
glass art ware, glass jewelry boxes, lamp shades, flower vases, crystal wine glasses, flasks, glass pots,
antique crystal chandeliers, glass coasters, glass lamp shades and glass paintings.
■ http://industries.rajasthan.gov.in/content/industries/handmadeinrajast
handepartment/artandcraft/jewellery0/thewa.html#