Funday Times

Gaveshaka continues his trail in the Kandy Gallery

Rich culture of Kandyan crafts
The Kandy period excels in the production of a large number of crafts using ivory, bronze, shell and metals like iron, brass, copper, bronze, gold and silver. These crafts include jewellery, ivory and bone carvings, gold and silver wares, lac work products, painted pottery and statuettes. The science of metal casting, colouring, casting lapidary work, ornamentation, woodcarving, mural painting, preparation of colour pigments and embroidery attained a high excellence during this period so much so these crafts have continued to this day as commercial products.

The decorative motifs used in the craft products revolved round floral and faunal motifs commonly known as Sinhalese decorative motifs. The practice of various crafts gave rise to craft guilds or castes. Some belonged to higher castes while others were considered lower depending on the type of crafts they were involved with. Architects, painters, gold and silversmiths, brassware manufacturers, ivory and wood carvers were considered as higher castes while in the lower division were ordinary carpenters, blacksmiths, stone carvers and iron workers.

The influence of South Indian industries is seen in most of these industries although indigenous styles coming down the ages have been maintained in the methodology adopted in the production of the products. The Kandy Period is well known for the production of various items of utility in ivory with extremely delicate carvings using the decorative motifs of the period. Although ivory constitutes a hard mate

rial to work with, the artifacts on display at the Kandyan Period Gallery in the National Museum reveal some of the finest products of delicate workmanship.

A wide range of products is on display. These include combs, pill-boxes, scales, ear pricks, compasses, hair pins, spectacle frames, medicine staffs, reliquaries, Buddha statues, st atues of royalty and chieftains, fan handles, bangles, perfume sprinklers, chests and door frame carvings. These give an idea of the lifestyle of people at that time. For instance, the use of different kinds of perfume would have been a common practice.

Carved combs are excellent products where decorative motifs have been used. Female dancers, 'nari lata' and lotus designs are among the more popular motifs used. There is also the god of love, with sugarcane bow and flower arrow. Courting couples, nursing mothers, mother with grown up child are among other designs which evidently suggest scenes of fertility cult. Combs with such motifs are offered by the bridegroom to the bride at the marriage ceremony. Both sides of the comb are of equal workmanship.
A number of ivory chests can also be seen.

These are used for storing jewellery and other valuable items. They are exquisitely carved and are in different shapes. The Portuguese and Dutch influence is seen in these. In fact, some are Portuguese and Dutch creations. Chests depicting the Don Juan Dharmapala story and Adam & Eve Biblical theme are unique products of toy chests.

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