Reflecting India's glorious tradition and rich heritage, Artefacts showroom on Residency Road collects antiques and artefacts from all over India, particularly south Indian states. For those who are aesthetically inclined towards Indian art, Artefacts unwraps a bonanza of masterpieces. Here, you can be sure of getting only original antiques. They do not sell replicas.

Artefacts showroom has a magnificent collection of rare paintings and antiques. The masterpieces at the showroom are a culmination of exquisite workmanship and artistic perception. Flawlessly crafted in bronze, sandalwood and teakwood, rare antiques and period furniture are available here. Exotic paintings include Batiks and miniatures. Rare stone sculptures of Indian gods like Krishna, Ganesha, Shiva, Nataraja, wooden sculptures like Buddha, besides antique coins, are for sale at Artefacts.

How does Artefacts collect these antiques? "We approach individuals who have antiques and buy directly from them, or these individuals themselves come to us to sell the antiques. Some times, when we get news of the discovery of antiques at the demolition of old heritage constructions, we go there. It may be a very remote village, but we still go there and we offer a good price to the owner if we like it," says Prasad, who owns the Artefacts showroom.

Whenever the showroom buys an antique "we do not do any alterations to the antiques, except a little bit of cleaning," says the Manager of Artefacts, Dwarakanath.

Artefacts has the catalogue of artworks by Raja Ravi Varma. "We have trained our artists to copy some of the works of Ravi Varma. We supervise the colour combination and try to get as near as possible to the original," says Dwarakanath.

According to Prasad, there is an upswing in the demand for antiques and artefacts. More and more people are inclined towards beautifying their homes. Even the younger generation appears to be taking an interest in antiques and handicrafts. Besides antique buffs in the country, Non Resident Indians are Artefacts' major customers.

"When a customer buys an antique from us, its origin and full description will be provided by us, authenticating its age and source," Dwarakanath said.

Address:
Artefacts, No 33/17,
Victoria Road, 1st cross,
Zaveri layout,Bangalore - 560 001.
Phone: 2556 0987 /2556 4931 / 2226 6226
Fax: 2255 5047
E-mail: franklin@vsnl.com

Text and photos by Y Rama Mohan

|