Nathdwara Pichwai by Varaq (Ritual)

The micro-fine leaf that they hand-beat – the Varaq, is used in ways both sacred and secular that defy imagination and speak eloquently of the skills of craftsmanship and the abilities of craftspersons to adopt material to myriad usage.
From gilding icons, deities, ritual and decorative objects of stone and wood to being applied onto wall murals and interiors. The applications on paintings extending from the detailed miniature arts on paper to the ritual textile arts like those of the painted Pichwais of Nathdwara in Rajasthan. Manuscripts illuminated with gold leaf, gold-tooled leather bookbinding and the edge-gilding of books to its use on religious book covers.