Louiza Rodrigues’s research while affiliated with Ramnarain Ruia College and other places

The traditional ornamented furniture of Gujarat and its makers covered a metamorphosed journey in the nineteenth century. The growing interest of European consumers towards Indian carved and inlaid furniture led, in spite of local socio-economic issues, to the revival and reshaping of the traditional furniture from Ahmedabad and Surat. Through the intermediary of Bombay’s activity and due to the increasing role of the International Exhibitions, a modern craft product known as “Anglo-Indian furniture” was created. This paper focuses on the characteristics and development of a practical knowledge, the Gujarati carved and inlaid furniture. The paper shows how the artisans exhibited their innate ability to adapt to situations and how they employed their skill and artistic sensibilities to meet western aesthetic demand, thereby creating a hybridized form of furniture.