Kashmiri papier-mâché

Everything that You Need to Know About this Craft! Making

“Papier-mâché” is the French word for chewed paper, which is a standard English loan word, for objects made by moulding paper pulp in various shapes and then decorating them with designs in various colors. In the figurative sense, the word ‘papier-mâché’ has come to be identified as the art of Kashmir.

Kashmiri papier-mâché is a handicraft of Kashmir that was brought by Muslim saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century to medieval India. It is based primarily on paper pulp, and is a richly decorated, colourful artefact; generally in the form of vases, bowls, or cups (with and without metal rims), boxes, trays, bases of lamps, and many other small objects. These are made in homes, and workshops, in Srinagar, and other parts of the Kashmir Valley.

Making papier-mâché

The procedure of making paper-mache is quite complex. The first step is to soak papier-mache in water till the time it starts disintegrating. After that, the pounding of the papier-mache is followed by the addition of an adhesive solution to it. Then, the blend is shaped over moulds and allowed to dry and set. The last step in the process is printing and varnishing the papier-mache.

If the papier-mache is not thoroughly pounded, a smooth finish will not come through. Kashmiri Papier-mache products are painted with brightly coloured designs. The products can be easily differentiated based on the creativity and skill of the craftsmen as well as the choice of the colours used. Papier-mache objects make extensive use of Gold. Either the whole of the design is painted in gold or certain motifs are highlighted with the colour. The quality of the gold used is another determinant of the value of the product. Papier-mache products with pure gold leaf are costlier than bronze dust or gold poster paint.

There are numerous papier-mache products available in Kashmir, right from the highly expensive ones to the quite cheaper ones. Amongst the cheaper options are eggcups, candle stands, pen stands, kumkum boxes, cigarette boxes, etc. These products make use of poster paint. On the other hand are many expensive vases, bowls, trays and several other products. Painted by expert artisans, they make use of the real gold leaf. It can be concluded that what determines the value of a papier-mache product is the skill of the artisan and the type of gold used.