Thanjavur / Tanjore Painting.

Thanjavur painting is a South Indian devotional painting tradition known for iconic compositions, raised relief work and luminous gold surfaces. The form flourished under Nayak and Maratha patronage in the Thanjavur region and is strongly associated with images of Krishna, Lakshmi, Ganesha and other deities. A wooden support is typically covered and prepared before the composition is drawn; selected ornaments, arches and jewellery are built up in relief, then covered with gold leaf and, in many works, inset with glass or imitation stones. Figures are frontal, richly ornamented and arranged within architectural frames. Because quality varies widely in the market, product records should document the base material, relief medium, purity/type of gold leaf where known, stones or glass used, iconography, artisan lineage, dimensions and whether the work follows traditional proportions and methods.