By Saptakala
Low slung furniture of circular columns articulating with one another, delicate stabiles of traditional Gujarati design patterns swing lazily from spaces within. The lacquered circular pieces dovetail in beautifully to make furniture that is indeed pride of Gujarat.
The intricacy of the lacquer illustrative work done with a series of brushes and leaves form an opulently royal palette of golds, yellows, reds, with subtle linear work of silverine lines. Market vagaries today have enhanced the color palette of the Sankheda craftsperson to include a variety of greens, blues and other hues and shades.
Creation of a Sankheda product involves first shaping the teakwood pieces on a lathe, before applying powdered tin premixed in a solvent. A coat of lacquer is applied and then polished using a specific leaf. The finished pieces are assembled together to make the required furniture. Sankheda furniture has almost become synonymous to ethnic Gujarati home element, the repertoire of furniture fabricated in this art form include, Swings, sofa sets, chairs, tables, cupboards and the like.
Traditional Trivia
The Sankheda craftsmen belong to the Kharadi community which still caters to its traditional customers in designing furniture for rituals, weddings and celebrations. The younger generation of craftsmen has a pulse on the commercial requirement of the market and is producing a variety of furniture for the urban needs and specifics.
Legend has it that the earliest examples undertaken in the villages of Sankheda were the result of an oral folk tale about a mendicant. Due to help and succor given to him, he taught the villagers the methodology of harvesting insects drawing out the resin and using a process mixed with tin to create the unique quality which makes lacquered Sankheda a famous craft form.
Geographical Location
Sankheda in Vadodara Disttrict