Ojas Gems

USA Edit 2019

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OJAS GEMS is a new avatar of Faqir Chand Raghunath Dass and Delhi’s Ivory Palace, established in 1824 as dealers of exclusive Indian jewelry and art ware. The business has been in the same family for nearly two centuries now.

We have continued this age-old tradition of handmade jewelry which commands attention the world over. Our commitment to quality stands as a guarantee behind each and every creation to leave our premises. Each piece is meticulously checked and rechecked for quality and workmanship.

Having served as official jewelers to royalty and the like, our collectors are assured they are in the best hands.

Cover image: A pair of earrings with more than 40 carats of cabochon emeralds

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Ojas is a Sanskrit word and may be inferred as the embodiment of the creative energy of the universe.

Ojas is also described as the nectar of the third eye.

Headed by Anubhav Nath, OJAS ART is a Delhi based art organization bringing forth the newest ideas in the contemporary art space. We endeavour to bring together artists and ideas supported by extensive research and thoughtful dialogues enabling creativity and innovation.

We are actively involved in research, consultancy, and advising on building collections.

For the last decade we have been involved in promoting the contemporary Indian Indigenous Arts in a holistic manner involving an annual art award, exhibitions and publications.

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The creative process of jeweley designing

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Bracelets

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Necklaces

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A high quality Zambian emerald weighing 7.35 carats hand carved as a Buddha, sits atop a lotus made of pink tourmalines and diamonds. Om Mani Padme Hum.

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A suite of tanzanites and Colombian emeralds

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A very large pink topaz set in white and rose gold.

A unique accent piece.

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A large, 34 carats Aquamarine accented by Burmese blue sapphires

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A suite of Colombian emeralds, with a reversible vintage pendant comprising of rubies and uncut diamonds. A part of our heritage collection.

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A 16 carats emerald set with diamonds and a blue sapphire.

A conversation piece, for sure.

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Earrings

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Peacock is the national bird of India. A handcrafted piece with multiple colors of sapphires, tanzanites and amethysts. A true collectible for the intricate handwork.

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A tanzanite selection

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Rare unheated and untreated old mine Burmese rubies are the starting point for these earrings.

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A high qulaity multi color Ethiopian Opal.

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Aquamarines and diamonds -- elegant and tasteful.

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Rings

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M ag ni fic en tR ub ie s

A top quality deep color rubelite weighing 13 carats surrounded by diamonds, set in rose gold.

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Regal Blue Sapphires

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Jignesh Panchal Jignesh Panchal studied painting at Sheth C.N. College of Fine Arts, 2001-06. His solo exhibition was held at gallery HTR in Mannheim, Germany in Dec 2011, “After works bei trockles” sponsored by Karin Trockles in Berlin, 2015. He built a site specific exhibition at le Corbusier’s building (Mill Owner’s building) Ahmedabad in March 2016.

Jignesh Panchal, Untitled, 2018, Mixed Media on Paper, 17x12 in

He had an open studio at Glogauair, Berlin in September 2015. He Participated at India Art Fair 2018 through ZOCA, Ahmedabad. He received grants from the Lalit Kala Akademi, Gujrat in 2009, 2010 and 2012. His artist residency at Glogauair Berlin, Nov–Dec 2016, Glogauair Berlin, June–Sep 2015, Glogauair Berlin, June–Sep 2014 and Mannheim (Germany) sponsored by Zoca, Aug–Oct 2012.

Jignesh Panchal, Untitled, 2018, Mixed Media on Paper, 17x12 in 52

Jignesh Panchal, Untitled, 2018, Mixed Media on Paper, 17x12 in

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Raja Ravi Varma

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Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) hailed from an aristocratic family of Kilimanoor in Travancore, Kerala. He was essentially a self-taught artist and at the age of thirteen he joined the Court of Trivandrum, where he observed and learnt the use of oil paints.

Adventurous by nature, Raja Ravi Varma and his brother travelled extensively in India and observed diverse cultures, costumes and jewellery, which is visible in the diverse artworks that he went on to create later.

Raja Ravi Varma was sure that he did not want to limit his art to palaces. In 1894, he initiated a lithographic press with German machinery in Bombay in partnership with Govardhandas Khatau Makhanji.

Like many businesses, Ravi Varma Press faced ups and downs and was also temporarily closed down. The press initially had the name ‘The Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithographic Press Bombay’ which in a short period changed to having only the abbreviations of F.A.L. Press-Bombay. The names of the press changed according to the place from where the press was operating like Karli, Karla, Lonavla and Malavli. It was during the period of the press at Karla-Lonavla that paintings of other Indian artists like Ramanujam, Venkatesh Rao and some others were printed here.

Chromolithography is basically a type of lithography, in which multiple stones are used, one for each color. The printers keep the images in register by getting the correct position of colors and

merging the overlaying colors properly.

Simply put, oleographs are colored lithographs executed with a touch of oil paint, making it look like a painting.It would be worth noting that the chromolithography tradition and the work of Raja Ravi Varma and his contemporaries in India unquestionably laid the foundation of popular art.

THE STRIP Each oleograph has the information strip printed at the bottom (see above), which gives information on the Press, Title, Registration Number and other important details.

These strips are quintessential in establishing the history and authenticity of these oleographs.

Unfortunately, in the early 1900s people did not care much about these strips and cut them out for framing purposes or did not think that they would be important in any way. There are efforts being made to document the number of surviving oleographs but there is no record available so far. Surviving pieces with the strips intact are surely not many and those with authentic zari work even fewer and rarer.

ZARI WORK OLEOGRAPHS Initially, people felt that the figures were too voluptuous and possibly inappropriate to be displayed at home. People also painted on the oleographs to further decorate them. Hence, the tradition of further dressing the deities in clothes or zariwork emerged in which people further decorated these oleographs

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by embellishing them with silk, zari, thread, pearls, mirror, gold and silver powder, etc. Also, this further accentuated the decorative aspect and made the oleographs individually unique. This technique of ‘dressing’ prints developed in the late 19th century and the work was mainly done in Tamil homes and, Burma emerged as another centre for this work. Serendipitously, the zari work oleographs have helped in establishing and documenting fashion trends of a bygone era.

REVERSE One of the best way to establish the authenticity of a zari work is to see the reverse. The network of stitches on the reverse gives one a good idea of the ageing and also one may look for browning or glue stains as over the years glue turns brown.

These oleographs have great antique value and are being collected, documented and researched by collectors and institutions all over the world. The survival rate of these pieces is rather low, hence they are very scarce. They range from eighty to a hundred years, depending upon their period of printing.

Many of the works being presented are genuine oleographs from Ravi Varma Presses or as mentioned, and the zari work on them is also vintage. Each piece is unique and cannot be replicated. There has been no restoration or retouching whatsoever.

Raja Ravi Varma, Laxmi, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 28x20 in

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Raja Ravi Varma, Dhruvnarain, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 20x14 in

Raja Ravi Varma, Garud Wahan Vishnu, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 20x14 in

Raja Ravi Varma, Saraswati, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 14x10 in

Raja Ravi Varma, Sri Shanmukha Subra Mania Swami, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 20x14 in

Raja Ravi Varma, Rampanchapttan, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 20x14 in

Raja Ravi Varma, Natraaj, Oleograph with unique vintage zardosi work, 20x14 in

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USA Edit 2019 September 2019 Ojas Gems, New Delhi

This catalogue Published in India in 2019

For OJAS GEMS 1AQ, Near Qutab Minar Mehrauli, New Delhi 110 030 gems@ojasgems.in | +91 98730 09294

Copyright Š Ojas Art 2019 Artworks Š Respective Artists

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean, without prior written permission.

Designed by: Rajinder Arora, Ishtihaar, New Delhi

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OJAS GEMS 1AQ, Near Qutab Minar Mehrauli, New Delhi 110 030 gems@ojasgems.in | +91 98730 09294

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