The History Of Meenakari Art And Its Designs

In the 2008 Bollywood film Jodhaa Akbar, the unforgettable elegance and the history of meenakari art and its designs were introduced. 

A historical romance drama by Ashutosh Gowariker made headlines for all the right reasons. 

After all, the majestic looks of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took everyone by surprise, in particular the fashion industry. 

No matter how old the period saga gets, she will never go out of style with her intricate necklaces and earrings.

Today, Kundan, Rajasthani Meenakari Arts, and Thewa's works, which play a pivotal role in shaping the beautiful designs and carving the shapes of the modern Indian bride jewelry. 

Source : https://www.filmibeat.com/

Source : https://www.filmibeat.com/

Source : https://www.filmibeat.com/

The history of the Indian Meenakari art

In the 16th century, Raja Ram Singh brought the meenakari technique to Rajasthan in the court of King Shah Jahan.

The art mesmerized by the elegance of the craft and forced to sent invitations to professional Lahore artisans to set up their workshops for enameling in Mewar Rajasthan. 

 In other words, Rajasthan emerged as India's meenakari-trade hub.

In architecture to decorate walls, pillars, and roofs, the work of Meenakari used. The begums of the emperor fell in love with the art and demanded it as part of their jewelry.

The art exhibition on a wide range of objects, from anklets, brooches, earrings, and other jewelry to small temple stools, chairs, jewelry boxes, picture frames, and key chains, found everywhere.

Gold is the first choice to make this kind of jewelry, and it is a favorite among Indians seeking special occasions to enhance their looks.

Fine silver is melt as the enamel (glass) and sticks better to pure metal.

Soon the tradition of Meenakari art of design started to spread to other parts of the Mughal Empire, as well as to Lucknow, Punjab, and Delhi. 

The art of enameling on gold quickly became popular throughout India, with each region having its own technical and stylistic specialty.

What is Meenakari work    

The word 'Meenu' is a Persian word which means paradise or heaven & the word 'Kari' means to put something on. The word Meenakari together means putting paradise upon an object.

The Meenakari work involves a metal surface coated with colored enamels. In this painting Red, Green, and White enamel dominate. The used metal is called 'chitras.'

The entire object or portions of an item is enamel. Additionally, the ornaments adorned with precious stones like diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc.

For making Meenakari Arts on jewelry, gold is always favorite because it keeps the enamel better and lasts longer as well as its luster brings out the enamel colors.

Copper, brass, or silver have used for Meenakari in crafts such as accessories and other items such as plates, cups, spoons, and art pieces.

You will encounter countless objects with embellishments such as bells, baskets of fruit, trays, key chains, and other things.

Types of Meenakari Design

Meenakari was an example of Rajput's and high-class society's monarchy and fierce dignity, embellished with high-end diamonds, Kundan, and various stones.

Ek Rang Mina Khula

This approach involves using clear enamel with a single color. The carved area is filled with a single coat, leaving outlines exposed around figural attributes in gold color.

Rang Panch Mina 

It uses five-color enamels, viz. Safed – opaque white, Fakhtai – misty light blue, Fakhta – a dove, Khula Nila – transparent dark blue and Khula Sabz – transparent green.

Gulabi Mina

It uses a pink enamel derived from Gulab (rose). This type of Meenakari is popular in the region of Varanasi. 

The translucent pink coating on the canvas of opaque white and to give the subject contrast and highlights with three colors transparent red ground, green ground, blue ground, when filling around a misty figure with a single translucent enamel.

The pink enamel is used in the design mainly to paint flowers. With the theme, 'champleve' Areas other than flowers are decorated. Hence Gulabi Mina is a mixed enameling type.

Bandh Mina Khaka

This approach requires the application of an opaque cartouche/outline. Opaque enamel cartouche surrounds translucent paint.

Which state is famous for meenakari design on jewelry

Rajasthan is India 's center for the Meenakari operation. As it is manufacture locally, meenakari art is part of almost every household in Rajasthan in both jewelry and objects.

Jaipur is the largest source of ornaments in Meenakari. Typical Mughal colors such as red, green, and white dominate the Jaipur art of enameling. 

The beautiful, ruby red color used here is much in demand.

Nathdwara, Bikaner, and Udaipur are also renowned for their Meenakari silver. Pratapgarh is famous for the enameling of glass.

Delhi and Banaras are also significant Meenakari centres.

Meenakari Art is an ancient performing skill

Meena Kari or Mina Kari is an art of embellishing different types of metals with vivid colors in dramatic motifs of birds, flowers, and leaves (gold, silver, imitation, copper, etc.) 

There are different kinds of Meenakari work of art depends on whether the enamel appears opaque, transparent, or translucent.

Changing times have influenced the jewelry quite a lot, but the spirit of the art has always been held in mind to produce a piece that symbolizes it's originality.

Definitely, with the increasing range of buyers, demand has increased, giving this art an open forum to be explored more and to provide more for the art form.

In the modernization period, this art form was divided into separate pieces but sewed by a string of one thing, which is its traditional individuality.

The Meenakari Art adopted different styles, giving it a new sense of style, but one thing has always been that the art culture and tradition are not hindered or disappeared.

Numerous organizations have joined together to keep this art form alive, value its traditional dignity, and let the art flourish. 

Meenakari painting

The art of drawing, coloring, and ornamenting the metal surface by fusing brilliant colors over it is Minakari or Enamelling. The designs are in an elaborate style.

Enameling is known as the most attractive and versatile of all metal decorations. Enameling was earlier done only on gold, But now it is done on other metals like silver, copper, brass, etc.

Meenakari 's approach requires a high degree of proficiency and discipline. 

• The metal piece on which Meenakari has done is attached to a lac stick. 

• Upon it are carved or graved delicate patterns of flowers, birds, fish, etc. It creates walls or grooves to retain color.

• Enamel dust of the appropriate color is then poured into the walls and fired individually for each color. 

• The furnace heat melts the pigment & the colored liquid is dispersed in the groove equally. Repeat this cycle for each color.

• As each color burnt individually, The colors first added are the most heat-resistant ones while each additional color is re-fired. 

• As a rule, the first color added is white, and the last is red.

• The item is cooled and burned, or polished with agate after the last color has burnt as much required. The depth of grooves filled with different colors will decide the sound and light display.

Meenakari work on Clothes 

The embroidery is the method of decorating a piece of clothing with needlework; or embellishment with fanciful details. 

Therefore, embroidery is the art of decorating textiles using a needle and thread. It involves the techniques of hand and machine embroidery. 

However, to date, hand embroidery tends to be a costly and time-consuming process.

• First, Put the fabric(Saree, Dress, Material, etc.)on the Wooden frame according to the pattern with the desired product allowance. 

• The motif / Logo is made of a tracing screen for symmetrical fabrication and uniformity, like the Khaka. The logo made with a liquid-form marking mixer (Kerosene and Gali powder).

• Fixing the material with the help of the buttonhole stitch with small, round-shaped mirrors, the outline sketched by hand Embroidery designs is rendered. 

• Wooden beams are best for this type of embroidery on the frames. A long needle is required to work on the fabric, threads, tokris, and beads. 

• One embroidery pattern is the jaali or net embroidery in abstract or floral shapes achieved by pulling the warp that weaves threads and fastening them with minute buttonhole stitches. 

• The Stitching with Silken thread in stem or herringbone closely worked makes it easy. Flowers and creepers are designs against a dark background. 

• Multi-sized frameworks usually about 1.5 feet high used to secure the tissue on which has a design is sketched with a stencil. Decorative tokris and beads are attached to the needle cloth. The finished goods include mainly household items such as curtains, bedspreads, furniture covers, and clothing material.

How is Meenakari done

Minakari is made by fusing individual pieces of colored glass powders in an imaginative way. To produce distinctive colors, artisans use different mineral oxides. In regards to using glass, various semi-precious and precious stones often used in the process of coloring.

The work of Meenakari became a favorite at the back of Kundan and Polki. While this made the jewelry reversible, the work of meenakari was not the jewelry star. 

The demand for Meenakari design is such that gold necklaces, bangles, and earrings are incomplete without it.

The elegance of the vibrant colors and the exquisite arts in meenakari has led to the discovery of a whole new niche and enhanced the beauty of the various accessories of today's lifestyle.

How does Meenakars work on jewelry

The artisans who create the work of Meenakari are called Meenakars, whose craft is inherited and passed from generation to generation. For perfection, a single piece of a Meena job is passing through many hands. 

The method includes various handicraftsmen with unique roles. 

• The initial concept is created by the designers or the Nacquash, accompanied by the 'Sonar' or goldsmith. 

• Next, the 'kalamkari' or the one who gravitates the designs and the Meenakari or the enamelist carries on. 

• After The 'Ghotnawala' or the polisher do his part, then the material moves to the 'Kundansaaz' or the stone setter.  

• Finally, it going to 'Patua' or the stringer to complete the entire cycle.

• The metal surface is etched by the meenakars using a metal stylus and later packed with colors, with intricate designs. 

• The Meena is then put in a furnace to fuse the colors and hardened and appear to be uniform to the surface. 

• The surface is then gently rubbed with a mixture of lemon and tamarind and enhancing the luster of each color.

The enamel colors consist primarily of metal oxides combined with a finely polished tint of the glass.

 The color yellow by using potash chromate, violet by manganese carbonate, green by copper oxide, blue by cobalt oxide, brown by red oxide and black by manganese, iron, and cobalt, It is necessary to clean the surface of the ornament before adding enamel. 

The mixture kept inside the kiln for an average temperature of around 850 degrees Celsius to get the real colors.

Tips for Meenakari items

Meenakari items are robust and are also time-tested. We can use daily, but preserving them is vital to enhance their longevity. 

Meena loses its shine over the years. The gold and silver items should be washed with a dry cloth and covered in cotton wrapping.

Most of the meenakari craft pieces, however, use copper or brass as the base; hence you can make use of special cleaning agents like Min Cream or Brasso to clean them. 

The increased demand in the past few years for meenakari design on jewelry and imitations has proved the rising charm of this craft. It is the first option for jewelry lovers, available in both traditional and modern styles.

This traditional art's modern form has a wide range and not confined to one specific region or culture, the representation of rich culture, with an attached traditional meaning.