GODS in PORCELAIN

During the late 19th century, Calcutta witnessed a remarkable rise of lithographic printing. which rapidly established itself as an influential medium within popular visual culture. A leading pioneer of this development was Annada Prasad Bagchi of the Calcutta Art Studio. The lithographs produced by the studio often depicted Indian gods and goddesses which decorated the homes of a growing urban middle class. The popularity of these prints caught the attention of foreign agents, who began to copy and reproduce them as oleographs in Germany to capture the Indian market. The growing popularity of these prints in the Indian markets also encouraged manufacturers to adapt the figures of deities onto porcelain figurines. This influx of imported porcelain created significant demand in Indian bazaars. This book traces the fascinating journey of how lithographic prints of gods and goddesses crossed geographical and cultural boundaries, were reimagined in porcelain, and returned to India to achieve widespread popularity.