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Sheet Embossing Crafts of India

Pembarthi village in Warangal, India is famous for its sheet metal artworks using brass and bronze. The village has a long history of metal crafting dating back to the Kakatiya Kingdom. The craft is practiced using traditional embossing techniques - brass or copper sheets are carved with chisels to emboss designs, with parts sometimes welded together. Tools include metal sheets, lac to hold the sheets, chisels, and gas torches. The finished products are then cleaned, filed, and polished. Brasswork is a major occupation for the villagers and the craft's products are exported internationally.

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JENIL RAJIV
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247 views

Sheet Embossing Crafts of India

Pembarthi village in Warangal, India is famous for its sheet metal artworks using brass and bronze. The village has a long history of metal crafting dating back to the Kakatiya Kingdom. The craft is practiced using traditional embossing techniques - brass or copper sheets are carved with chisels to emboss designs, with parts sometimes welded together. Tools include metal sheets, lac to hold the sheets, chisels, and gas torches. The finished products are then cleaned, filed, and polished. Brasswork is a major occupation for the villagers and the craft's products are exported internationally.

Uploaded by

JENIL RAJIV
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pembarthi- Warangal, India Craft Elective

Andhra Pradesh has a history of outstanding workmanship of its Metal workers or “Vishwakarmas”, which can be traced back to the
grandeur and glory of the Kakatiya Kingdom. Metal Craft attained the pinnacle of perfection in the high degree of skill displayed by the
master craftsmen.

Pembarti, located at a distance of 60 Kilometers from Warangal, is famous for sheet metal art. Globally renowned for brassware, artifacts,
metal tools and objects of daily use, statues, carvings and castings are extensively made in this village using copper alloys like brass and
bronze.

The Vishwakaramas of Pembarthi were renowned for their rare skill, both in stone and metal sculpture and were patronized by the rulers
for building temple, creating ‘Vigrahas’ – idols of the gods, ‘Vahanas’ – the chariots and other artistic accessories of temple sculpture. 

Brass work has become the occupation of many villagers and these wares are also exported to other countries. When iron use was not
known copper and alloys were used for making metal tools and objects of daily use. The early social-historical skill later continuously
created objects of art. Statues, carvings, castings still continue to be made in the attractive copper alloys like bronze and brass. The
methods used are still ancient, traditional ones although the raw material today comes from modern mines and furnaces.

Floral design is embossed on the traditional plate, which is used in the rituals.

MIT SOA F.Y.M.Arch 2021-22 Jenil Mota, Architect


Pembarthi- Warangal, India Craft Elective

Tools and raw materials used are:

Metal sheet:
Used to emboss design on it.
LAc

Lac (lucca):
Used to spread on the wooden plank to hold the metal sheet.

Chisel:
Used to carve to design on the metal sheet.

Gas torch burner:


Used to melt the lac and join the metal pieces.

Acid and tamarind:


Used to wash the product. Metal Sheets

File and buffer:


Used to smoothen the edges and give shine to the product.

Different sizes of chisels are used in engraving.

MIT SOA F.Y.M.Arch 2021-22 Jenil Mota, Architect


Pembarthi- Warangal, India Craft Elective
Making Process:

This craft is practiced in Nalgonda district and the craftsmen follow the method of embossing on brass and copper sheets. In this technique,
brass or copper sheet is cut into the required size and shape and fixed on a wooden table with four sides of the sheet covered with lac (lucca).
Lac effectively fixes the sheet on wooden plank or table.
Design is drawn on a paper sheet and the sheet is pasted on the brass sheet. The designs are carved on the sheets using fine instruments
(chisel). After the basic carving, the paper sheet is removed. Later, the lac is heated and the carved brass sheet is removed from the wooden
plank. Further fine carvings are done by hammering the sheet with different shape and sizes of chisels. The sheet is then cleaned with ash
powder and the depth of the embossing is done. Parts of the product are designed and embossed separately and later welded together using
gas torch burner. The embossed sheet is then washed with acid and brushed with tamarind water giving the article shine. After washing it is
filed to smoothen the edges and buffed to give shine and luster to the surface.

MIT SOA F.Y.M.Arch 2021-22 Jenil Mota, Architect

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