India on Transferware
MUMBAI, 14 January 2016 – The Asia Society was delighted to host Ambassador Nirupama Rao, former Ambassador of India to the United States of America, for a presentation on ‘Transferware’. Ambassador Rao began the presentation by sharing that she started this hobby by accident, explaining that she was searching for a book on eBay, and came across these ‘objects of fascination’.
Living in the States at the time, she started collecting these items, to share with her friends. Transferware is a type of ceramic, usually dinnerware. It is a technique in which a pattern is printed onto a ceramic to depict a scene or story. The technique involves copper plates with designs engraved on them, which are then spread with an ink made of cobalt, the transfer paper wetted with soap and water laid on the plate. Pressure is applied to the plate, which is warmed after which the paper is peeled off with an impression of the engraved pattern. The ware is then ‘fixed’ by heating it in an oven, the final stage involves covering the pattern with a protective glaze.
Ambassador Rao explained how the traditional Transferware was depicted on blue and white plates, as is more commonly depicting scenes in China and the far east, however, the collecting of Indian Transferware is gradually becoming more popular. One point Ambassador Rao made, was that the scenes depicted on the transferware were often those of the ‘imagined’ and ‘glorified’ India, where an idyllic scene would be portrayed such as scenes with monuments depicted in an unrealistically beautiful setting as well as an abundance of tigers, cheetahs, elephants and pigs, as these were loved by the British.
Reported by: Benjamin Thrasher, Programme Assistant Intern, Asia Society India Centre.
This programme was part of our AsiaLens series, which presents an array of perspectives on the visual and performing arts of modern Asia, offering a vibrant and nuanced view across the continent. Previous events under this series include a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the CSMVS Conservation Centre with Anupam Sah, a lecture with Dr. Sugata Bose on the paintings of Rabindranath Tagore and Commerce and Culture from Canton to Bombay.
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