India · Painting / Textile Painting
पिछवाई (pichwai, pichhwai, pichhavai; 'that which hangs at the back')
Large devotional paintings on cotton cloth made in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, to hang behind the image of Shrinathji (Krishna as a child) in temples of the Pushtimarg sect. A starched cotton cloth is sketched and filled with mineral and organic pigments, often with gold and silver, in compositions chosen for each season and festival: lotus ponds in summer, the full moon of Sharad Purnima, peacocks in the monsoon. They are made by master-led workshops of hereditary painters and are also bought by devotees and collectors for home shrines.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not inscribed
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