File:Tanjore art.jpg

English: Tanjore painting The Tanjore or Thanjavur painting, with roots in the Vijayanagar school of painting originated in the Maratha court of Thanjavur (1676 – 1855). It is characterised by rich colours, gold foils, and the use of glass beads or precious and semi-precious stones. The paintings are of Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main figure or figures are seen placed in the center of the picture mostly within an architecturally delineated space such as a mantapa or prabhavali surrounded by several subsidiary figures. A Tanjore painting was generally made on a canvas pasted over a plank of wood with Arabic gum. The canvas was then coated with a paste of powdered limestone and a binding medium and dried. The artist then drew the main subjects using a stencil. Limestone powder and a binding medium called sukkan or makku were made into a paste and used for creating the Gesso work. Gold leaves and gems of varied hues were inlaid in selected areas like pillars, arches, thrones, dresses, etc. Finally, colours were applied on the sketch.