TANJORE

painting
HANDICRAFT
 01
SYNOPSIS History

02 Style & technique

This project is about a handicraft product
made in Thanjavur. Thanjavur has a unique
03 Artefacts
place in the history of Indian painting.
Tanjore painting is a classical South Indian
04 Artists
painting style, which was inaugurated in the
town of Thanjavur (anglicized as Tanjore) in
05 GI Tag
Tamil Nadu. The art form draws its primary
resources and inspiration from about 1600
06 Modern form
AD. Its famous gold coating distinguishes it
from that of others.
07 Exports
 The fall of the Vijayanagan Empire and the back of Hampi on

HISTORY the Battle of Talikota in 1565 CE resulted the migration of

painters who had been dependent the patronage of the
empire. Some of them migrated to Thanjavur and worked
ORIGIN & INFLUENCES
under the patronage of the Thanjavur Nayakas. Subsequently,
the Maratha rulers who defeated the Thanjavur Nayakas began
to nurture the Thanjavur atelier. Needless to say, the artists
absorbed the local influences and the individual tastes of their
Maratha patrons which helped evolve the unique Thanjavur
style of painting.
 STYLE &
TECHNIQUE
A Thanjavur Painting was generally made on a
canvas pasted over a plank of wood (Jackfruit or
teak) with Arabic gum. The canvas was then evenly
coated with a paste of French chalk (gopi) or
powdered limestone and a binding medium and
dried. The artist then drew or traced using a stencil, a
detailed outline of the main and subsidiary subjects
on the canvas. A paste, made of limestone powder
and a binding medium called sukkan, was used for
creating the Gesso work. Gold leaves and gems of
varied hues were inlaid in selected areas like pillars,
arches, thrones, dresses, etc. Finally, colours were
applied on the sketch.
 ARTEFACTS
Although artists used natural
colours such as vegetable and The most loved theme of
mineral dyes in the past, artificial
paints have gradually taken over. Tanjore paintings has
Tanjore paintings have a stunning been the image of baby
colour scheme of vivid reds,
blues, and greens. This, along Krishna, sitting on his
with the paintings’ richness and golden thorne with a pot
dense compositions,
distinguishes them from other
of butter in his hands.
Indian art styles. Bal Krishna, Lord
Rama, and other gods,
goddesses, saints, and subjects
from Hindu mythology are
popular themes in Tanjore
paintings.
ARTISTS
THE CRAFTSMEN

Traditionally, it is well known that the Raju community of

Thanjavur and Tiruchi, also called Jinigara or Chitragara,
and the Nayudu community of Madurai were the artists
who executed paintings in the Thanjavur style. The art
was by and large a sacred task to be performed with a
reasonable degree of ritual purity and humility by the
master craftsmen, many of whom chose to remain
anonymous and never signed their paintings, true to the
Indian artistic tradition. However, a few works signed by
the Thanjavur artists are also known. C. Kondiah Raju, the
famous calendar artist from Kovilpatti, was one of the C. Kondiah Raju
illustrious descendants to make a name as an artist calender artists
during modern times from the Raju community.
 GI TAG
Every region is known for its traditional and regional food items, and
Geographical Indications also known as GI tags, are signs that celebrate the
specific geographical origin and possess qualities and characteristics that are
essentially attributable to that place of origin.

BENEFITS
• Legal protection to the products
• Prevents unauthorized use of a GI tag products by others
• Helps consumers to get quality products of desired traits and is
assured of the authenticity.
• Promotes economic prosperity of producers of GI tag goods by
enhancing their demand in national and international markets.
MODERN FORM
TANJORE PAINTING
Thanjavur paintings continue to be made even to the
present day, though not with the rigor and virtuosity
that marked the paintings of yore. 'Revival' programs,
Exhibitions, Workshops and Training camps on
Thanjavur paintings are being held regularly by many
institutions including State Governments. The materials
used have also changed according to the cost, ease of
availability, and the choice of individual artists. Plywood,
for example, has by and large replaced Jack and teak
wood. Synthetic colors and adhesives are preferred over
natural and mineral colors and other traditional
components. Muck powder, a fine powder of chalk, is
also used to create a 3D effect in the paintings. In
addition to the traditional subjects, a wide range of
popular and modern subjects and themes are depicted
in Thanjavur paintings. While it is a happy development
that this traditional art continues to hold its sway, the
brazen commercialization and lack of aesthetics are
disturbing trends.
 • A large number of Tanjore paintings made in India are
exported to various countries. It has a wide global market.

EXPORTS
EXPORT DUTIES ON TANGORE PAINTINGS
Export duty for Tanjore Paintings is levied by the • Tanjore painting export shipments from World are 457,
Government when the product is exported from India to exported by 84 suppliers. World exports most of it's
other countries. Tanjore paintings to United States, Monaco and
Singapore.
Many online portals helps people to find out custom duty /
export duty that one has to pay while exporting Tanjore
Paintings from India.

• The top 3 exporters of Tanjore painting are Singapore and Sri

Lanka. India is the largest exporter of Tanjore paintings and
accounts for 452 Shipments followed by Singapore at 2nd and Sri
Lanka at the 3rd Spot with 2 shipments.
THANK
you
Presentation by Samyuktha R