Thewa Art, originating in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh, uniquely fuses 23-carat gold onto colored glass without glue. Guarded by the Raj Soni family for 400 years, this GI-tagged craft recently gained global prominence as a cultural diplomacy gift by Prime Minister.
Why In News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevates India’s cultural diplomacy by gifting exclusive Thewa motif cufflinks to Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.
What is Thewa Art?
The term Thewa derives from the local Rajasthani language, meaning "Setting." It represents a decorative craft involving the fusion of hand-carved, 23-carat gold sheets onto specially treated molten glass.
Origin: Master goldsmith Nathulal Soni (Nathuni Sonewalla) invented this technique in 1767 in the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan.
Historical Foundation: The craft originated as an elite, regal art form after the King of Pratapgarh challenged a local jeweller to create an artefact from coloured glass, resulting in a gold-on-glass filigree masterpiece.
Evolution and Patronage
Royal Patronage: Maharawat Samant Singh of Pratapgarh became the primary patron in 1767, granting the artisan family a jagir (land grant) and the prestigious title of "Raj Soni" (Royal Goldsmith).
Geographic Confinement: Thewa remains strictly confined to Pratapgarh, ensuring the authenticity of the technique and protecting traditional knowledge from unauthorized imitation.
Family-Based Tradition: The Raj Soni family maintains the fusion process as a closely guarded secret. Knowledge passes strictly through oral tradition within the male lineage, with only 14 to 16 families currently practicing the craft.
Unique Technical Features
Gold Sheet Engraving: Artisans beat 23-carat gold into a micro-thin, 40-gauge sheet known as Thewa Ki Patti. They use ultra-fine chisels to execute free-hand engravings, creating spectacular openwork lattice patterns.
Fusion Process: The craft utilizes heavily saturated Belgian glass in ruby red, emerald green, and sapphire blue. Artisans thermally fuse the engraved gold foil onto this glass base.
Zero Glue Technique: Thewa relies on a secret thermal bonding process that requires no glue, solder, or synthetic pasting materials.
Intricate Assembly: Artisans set the gold-fused glass into ornate solid silver casings, historically termed Chandi ki Dibiya, often placing silver foil at the back to maximize reflective luster.
Time Intensity: A single, intricately detailed piece of jewellery requires up to one month of continuous manual labor.
Cultural Significance
Storytelling Canvases: Designs capture regal history, including Shikar (hunting expeditions), Baraat (wedding processions), Darbar assemblies, and depictions of Maharana Pratap riding Chetak.
Mythological Themes: Artisans render scenes from Hindu epics, including deities like Krishna, Radha, and Ganesha, alongside flora and fauna motifs such as lotuses, peacocks, and elephants.
Modern Application: The craft has transitioned from heavy gold artefacts to versatile wearable art, including pendants, earrings, Maangtikkas, brooches, cufflinks, tie pins, and functional items like photo frames and rose water sprinklers.
GI Tag and Institutional Recognition
Geographical Indication: The Government of India awarded the GI Tag to "Thewa Art Work" in 2014, registered by the Rajasthan Thawa Kala Sansthan.
National Acclaim: The Limca Book of Records (2011) recognizes the Raj Soni family for securing the maximum number of national and state awards.
State Honors: The Government of India issued a ₹5 Postal Stamp in 2002 and awarded the Padma Shri to master craftsman Mahesh Raj Soni in 2015.
Policy Integration: The state promotes Thewa under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, repositioning Pratapgarh’s craft in international luxury markets to generate rural employment.
Source: DDNEWS
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. In the context of India's traditional crafts, the term "Chandi ki Dibiya" and "Thewa Ki Patti" are most closely associated with which of the following? (a) Bidri silver work of Karnataka (b) Thewa gold-on-glass jewellery of Rajasthan (c) Tarakasi silver filigree of Odisha (d) Meenakari enamel work of Jaipur Answer: (b) Explanation: Thewa art is a centuries-old, GI-tagged traditional craft from the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan. The process features the fusion of micro-thin, hand-carved sheets of 23-karat gold—known as Thewa Ki Patti—onto vibrantly colored Belgian glass. Once the intricate gold-on-glass artwork is set, it is mounted and framed inside an ornate, solid silver casing, historically referred to as Chandi ki Dibiya. |
Thewa Art is a rare, centuries-old traditional jewelry-making craft that involves the precise, intricate fusion of hand-carved sheets of 23-carat gold foil onto vibrant, specially treated colored molten glass.
The artwork originated nearly 400 years ago during the Rajput era in the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan, where it was invented in 1707 by a master goldsmith named Nathulal Soni under the patronage of Maharaja Samant Singh.
Thewa is unique because artisans fuse the delicate gold patterns directly onto a base of imported Belgian glass without using any glue or pasting materials, relying on a closely guarded, secretive technical process that has been passed down strictly from father to son within the Rajsoni family lineage.
Yes, the craft holds a prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag under registration number 244, legally ensuring that only authentic pieces handcrafted in Pratapgarh using the traditional method can be marketed as "Thewa Art Work."
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