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European influence on Indian art was first brought about by the Portuguese and Dutch in the late 17th century and since then European taste has dominated almost most spheres of an ornamental nature in India. This is not to say that India doesn’t have its own history of design. The thrones chairs used during the Mughal era were elaborate – the legs were sometimes of wood and shaped like an hour glass. The panels were replete with flower motifs – blossoms, the plant, and generally with red and green colors while the ladies’ rooms were decorated with lavish carpets and the walls are adorned with gold and silver. The overall look corresponded very well with the palace’s arches, gilt doors, and of course, the brightly colored clothes of the occupants. Later, the Queen of England included some handsome ivory Indian furniture in her collection, which probably still exists in Windsor Castle. In the Indian Museum, there are plenty of specimens of exquisite local furniture designs – namely, a gold chair of octagonal shape and two bowls reversed, embellished with acanthus and lotus. This is 18th century workmanship and initially belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The museum also has a collection of casts of portions of temples and palaces from a very early period in Indian history. As local craftsmanship of all sorts, whether it was wood, leather or metal, became subject to more Indo-Chinese influence of deities on the one side and aspects of Portuguese pioneers on the other, it created artwork that could rarely be defined succinctly. Hundreds of years ago, Indian designs were primarily affected by the migration of Persian designers to the region. Even today, these influences and inspirations are evident in the work of leather furniture studios like PortsideCafé in Delhi. The bedstead of King Theebaw is a classic example of glass and wood. The wood is carved to show the gold placements of precious stones, which are replaced by pieces of looking-glass and colored transparent glass. Among the more contemporary ornamental articles in the museum include boxes, writing cases, pen trays and photograph albums made of wood and ivory. From the 17th century, there is also a beautiful coffer which is richly inlaid with ivory; one of the best representations of Persian design and influence on local craftsmanship. This was made during the reign of Shah Abbas. Other artifacts are inlaid with tin wire and stained ivory. www.portsidecafe.com
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