A Glimpse of The Sparkle Of Diamond Jewelleries in Artworks of Raja Ravi Varma
With feather-like brushstrokes, the great painter Raja Ravi Verma beautifully captured the shimmers of uncut diamonds through his innumerable portrait paintings, which have been a source of inspiration even today for the craftsmen. Influenced by the Tanjore School, Varma’s paintings portray beauty that transports viewers to the royal era.
One of the most fascinating facts about Varma’s painting is his embellishment of jewels and ornaments worn by men and women of India during that era. Along with depicting mythological and historical narratives, Varma offers a vivid portrayal of uncut diamond-studded jewellery through his art.
Jewellery in Paintings – Beautiful artwork by Varma
With his meticulous attention to detail, Varma has immortalised the different jewels of Indian society in his portrayals of gods, goddesses, kings, and queens. In his notable work “Lady with a Fruit,” Varma paints a woman adorned with traditional Polki ornaments, keeping intricate details in the design.
His paintings show that Varma was inspired by the designs he saw around him in the aristocratic circles. When he started painting gods and goddesses, he transformed them by adding jewellery.
In his notable work “Yashoda and Balakrishna”,” Varma bedecked them with the highest-quality uncut diamonds. In the painting, sparkling bangles, a large pendant hanging from the pearl necklace, and a sarpech on Balakrishna’s head are visible, highlighting the type of jewellery worn during that era.
Again, for the mortal royal subjects, Raja Ravi Varma had a slightly different approach. Due to his affinity with royal families from an early age, he preferred the royal sitters to wear the actual jewels during painting. In the painting of Prince Marthanda Bhairava Tondaiman, Varma depicted rows of uncut diamonds in the headgear, massive ruby pendants, and chunky bracelets.
Another notable work, “Maharaja Sayajirao III at His Investiture,” shows the Maharaja in regal attire with majestic ornaments, which detail the grandeur of the royal family. This painting documents the world’s most epic jewellery designs.
The Rani of Kurupam is another masterpiece of Varma portraying some of the finest jewellery designs of that time that the Rani has worn in the painting. While the diamonds encircle her neck, Varma has meticulously paid attention to painting pearls and sapphires in the blue dupatta of the Maharani.
How has Raja Ravi Varma’s Painting helped jewellery makers?
Over the centuries, artisans and goldsmiths have benefitted from Raja Ravi Verma’s royal, elegant, and intricately painted diamond and Kundan jewels. These paintings inspire the craftsmen for the following reasons.
Realistic depiction
Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings are known for their meticulous attention to detail, especially in designing royal attire and jewellery. Hence, these realistic depictions unveiled the jewellery designs of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Historical craftsmanship
Varma’s paintings are the greatest source of visual archives for jewellery makers and modern-day artisans. These designs show real-life creations and help jewellers preserve traditional styles to the present. His paintings have been the greatest source for researchers to trace the evolution of Indian jewellery-making techniques.
Inspiration for contemporary designs
The bridal jewelleries in the contemporary days are now being created keeping the designs depicted in Varma’s paintings. Most heritage jewellery brands use his artwork as a reference to mould the designs and keep a touch of elegance and royalty in all contemporary designs.
To experience a touch of royalty in diamond jewellery, visit Bhuramal Rajmal Surana Johuree, a renowned name for Jadau jewellers in Jaipur, Bengaluru and Kolkata. With nearly 300 years of heritage since 1735 and eight generations of experience in crafting royal ornaments, our karigars pay attention to details to make each piece sit like a work of art. We have been proudly preserving heritage for almost three centuries.