Nest of three tables

Artist Ambika Devi combines the festival colours of pink and red with the parallel Godhna tradition of black and white to create three different occasions of a wedding on a set of three nested tables. The gentler colours bring a new aura to Mithila art, allowing its easy conversion to contemporary pieces of furniture.

Each is part of one wedding, connected by the tree spreading through all three pieces, but the characters of bride, groom and others perform different ceremonies on each table. The words of three different songs, sung traditionally on these three occasions, are hidden within the leaves of the tree on that particular table. The words of these songs in the Maithili dialect are recorded here in Ambika Devi’s personal Devanagari style along with her art. For a woman to write is in itself a new development in Bihar’s rural areas. That the writings can be merged seamlessly with the painting is a new discovery for the artist. On the smallest table is the reception of the groom at the bride’s home. The second work depicts the ceremonial dressing of the bride by her friends and family. The largest table has the wedding ceremony itself.