Marble Painting

Gold leaf work on Marble

In this style marble paintings are embellished with gold leaves and semi precious stones. The paintings are lacquered after the embellishment to ensure permanence.

Painting on Marble- the technique

Firstly the base is prepared by coating the slab with a neutral color. Sometimes it's “sponged” and responged with colors to get the desired effect. The painter then draws the images with great specificity. Some paintings are then embellished with gold leaves and jewels and lacquered. The painters mainly used vegetable and mineral dyes.

The themes of Marble Painting

The literature of the Bhakti cult (a revolutionary religious cult movement) seems to be the primary source of inspiration for these paintings. The emphasis was on the emotions of love and the view of point was that of a woman's. Radha and Krishna were the models of an ideal couple. These paintings are known for the aesthetic depiction of various love acts of the divine couple.

The exquisite marble paintings with inlay were also done on tabletops, wall hangings, furniture, etc. Today these paintings are a collector's item around the world and are much sought after. Painting on Marble is a versatile art form and is done with or without gold. Marbles of different sizes and thickness are used according to the convenience of both the artist and the buyer.