Anglo-Indian Rosewood Double Picture Frame, Mainpuri District, Tarkashi (Wire Drawing) Technique, c.1860s

Antiques : Anglo Indian : Mainpuri Tarkashi Picture Frame

 

Exceptionally striking hinged rosewood double picture frame made in the Mainpuri District of British India. It is a fine example of an ancient style or technique of the region called “tarkashi,” loosely translated “wire drawing.” This technique came to the attention of the British in the 1860s. At that time, the technique was apparently in a state of rapid decline; however, buoyed by European enthusiasm, it enjoyed a kind of renaissance in the second half of the 19th century. I have dated this piece to the decade when this rebirth occurred, as it seems a particularly fine and complex example of the technique; however, it may date later in the century.

In his marvelous work, “Furniture From British India and Ceylon,” Amin Jaffer describes the artistic process:

“ . . . The timber they used was purchased locally, as was the brass, which was bought in sheet form in the bazaar, beaten and cut into narrow strips. In most cases the design to be inlaid was drawn in pencil directly on the wood. However, complex patterns were also drawn on paper, which was then attached to the panel to be inlaid. Once sketched, the lines that constituted the design were incised with a sharp knife and set with brass wire, which was beaten with an iron hammer until it matched the surface of the wood. On completion, the surface was polished to a high sheen, with a contrast of brilliant brass against a rich dark ground.”

The process is very labor intensive, and the revival was relatively short lived. By the end of the 19th century, it was once again in decline.

The double frame here for sale is carved and pierced profusely, and the brass wire is arranged in a trellis pattern. At the rear there is support that collapses when the frame is folded. When opened the piece stands approximately 14” high to the tip, and is approximately 14” from side to side.

The condition is excellent. An insignificant amount of tarkashi is missing, almost impossible to find except upon very close inspection. There is an eyelet on the stand at the back designed to receive a hook, but the hook is missing.

Reference: Jaffer, Furniture From British India and Ceylon, pp. 305-307

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Item ID: H-000072