Design Resource
Decorative Pot - Kolkata
Flower vase
by
Prof. Bibhudutta Baraland Srikanth B.
Introduction
A vase is an open container made out of a range of materials like ceramics, glass, wood, or non-rusting metals, such as aluminum, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. These vases are either used as decorative items or to hold cut flowers. Their foot is mostly flat and bulbous, and the body is shaped into forms taking the largest portion of the piece. Some of the vases possess handles, shoulders, long necks, or a lip that barges out at the top. The history of vases is spread across the world as different forms originated at varied sites at different periods for various purposes. Chinese ceramics and Native American pottery are the most regarded among them, popularized mainly in the medieval period. Greece also accounts for vase painting as a traditional term for fine painted pottery, embellished with elaborate figures from Greek mythology.
Sicilian vase painting is a regional style vase painting from South Italy, whose production started at the end of 5th century B.C., making it the oldest known form. In contrast, Etruscan vase painting is a Greek art-inspired style that makes richly decorated vases. Paestan vase painting is a type that used to carry mostly female figures finished in a linear fashion, but later this painting came to a halt due to cultural conflicts. Euboean vase painting is a regional Greek-style painting still practiced on the island of Euboea. It is finished on vessels decorated with suspended concentric semicircles. Bilingual vase painting is a combination of two colors, black and red, which gained momentum in the last quarter of 6th century B.C. and later won the market growing into a dominant form rather very fast.
Handicrafts form the basis of the cultural setup of any country. The state of West Bengal from India has always been famous for its handicrafts and handlooms. The handicrafts with years of innovation have reached a point where each item is improvised every year while maintaining its essence of tradition. Well, known varieties of decorative vases are done using natural materials like terracotta, ceramic, limestone, jute, wood, bamboo, etc. Mrs. Debanti Sen is a Kolkata-based artisan specialized in handcrafted products like terracotta masks, terracotta vases, m-seal jewelry, jute products, and shola products. He, who is in the business for eight years, runs workshops and trains people interested in the art forms with a single goal to preserve our traditional crafts most efficiently.
