Magical qualities – decoration and symbolism in Indian art

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Pattern and Ornament in the Arts of India

By Henry Wilson

Hindu beliefs are closely associated with the natural world; Hindu designs are pictorial representations of the magical qualities attributed to the effects of climate and nature.  The Muslim Mughals also loved nature and wished to reproduce the beauty of the Kashmir Valley, with its flowers and orchards.  To this end they surrounded their buildings with formal gardens and flowers and decorated them with themes from nature, to which they added abstract geometry.  The Indian plants birds and animals that are common elements in decorative designs hold symbolic meaning. One of the most frequent design motifs in India is the lotus flower, a symbol of purity.  The peacock, the national bird of the Republic, stands for beauty.  The Chevron, a popular Mughal motif, is said to refer to running water and is considered to be associated with those living in areas subject to drought.

‘Decoration nourishes and ennobles us, providing physical, mental and aesthetic stimulation in a way that is inestimable’ asserts Henry Wilson in his introduction.  Certainly the richness of the photographs that fill the book proves this sentiment true.   Focused on the decorative embellishments to architecture in India’s north-west, the book includes forts, mansions, tombs, temples and mosques, from the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi of the first century BC/AD to Rajput interiors of around 1900.

The introduction explains the use of the design motifs, provides an insight into the work of the craftsman, and information on building methods and the materials used. Four chapters follow the introduction.  Each concerns itself with a different area of design – repeat patterns, borders and bands, single motifs and panels and ornamental scenes. Each chapter starts with information about the topic and then continues with a series of photographs illustrating its subject matter in detail,  together with descriptive commentary.   The photographs are accompanied with graphic illustrations of the architectural embellishments.   Just one of the spectacular interiors represented is The Hall ofClouds, a room in a fort in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. The four walls and ceiling are painted to celebrate the miracle of the monsoon.  Gold leaf serpents edged in vibrant red, representing lightning, appear at intervals wrapped around  stylized dark blue and white storm clouds.  Under the dado rail, the clouds end and parallel vertical broken black lines representing the rain appear.

This book would not only appeal to students of Indian  architecture, pattern and ornament but  is also an excellent source book  along the lines of Owen Jones’  Grammar of Ornament. The wonderful photographs, however, make this a book that anyone can enjoy.

Pattern and Ornament in the Arts of India by Henry Wilson is published by Thames & Hudson. 223 colour photographs and 89 drawings, £32.00. ISBN 978-0-500-51582-2