Crafting Culture: The Amrapali Collection of Indian Decorative Arts

crafts & lifestyle

232 pages, 200 images 9.9 x 12.5” (252 x 318 mm), hc ISBN: 978-93-85360-89-3 2950 | $65 | £45 Spring 2023 |

Published in association with Amrapali Museum, Jaipur Crafting Culture

The Amrapali Collection of Indian Decorative Arts Pramod Kumar K.G.

Over millennia, as traditions were forged and materials harnessed, the human capacity for decorating everyday life resulted in myriad manifestations across objects. A vision to capture the subcontinent’s material culture resulted in the creation of the Amrapali Museum, Jaipur. It is testament to the skills of craftsmanship, materiality and aesthetics that have dictated the form, shape and functionality of our everyday art objects.

Amidst the tumultuous timeline of our past, what was saved and why was it saved are crucial questions that help us understand the changing nature of everyday objects. This volume shines a light on the place of objects in times of transition, examining the Amrapali Museum’s rare collection through filters of shape, typology, aesthetics, craftsmanship, materiality and use. Through its holdings, the author compares and contextualizes objects with other related examples across time periods and centres of production, helping us map crucial indicators such as the evolution of shape and design, advancement of crafts and changing aesthetics. Through this volume, the preservation of these fragments from the past now allows us a rare opportunity to celebrate India’s civilization and its crafts culture.

Pramod Kumar K.G., an independent scholar and researcher, is the co-founder of Eka Archiving Services, India’s first museum advisory firm. His primary area of interest is material culture from the Indian subcontinent and towards this he has curated several exhibitions in India and overseas, besides lecturing extensively on the subjects worldwide. He also helped curate and set up the Amrapali Museum, Jaipur, besides exhibitions at the National Museum of India, National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, and multiple galleries at the City Palace Museums of Udaipur, Jaipur and Hyderabad. He is widely published and some of his books include Posing for Posterity: Royal Indian Portraits and Nemai Ghosh: Satayajit Ray and Beyond. He also instituted the Jaipur Literature Festival and was till recently the co-director of Mountain Echoes, the Bhutan Literature Festival.