Bone Crafting

The craft which can be traced back to early man civilization, when tools were made of bones and much later these bones were used to make decorative pieces and some pieces of utility with a touch of art in them, is on the verge of extinction, or let’s say it already is almost extinct. Only a few artesian practice it till date, though unhappy with the earnings it fetches. The lack of patrons, scarcity of raw material and legal restraints has pushed many artisans away from the craft of bone carving. There are only a very few in Lucknow who are loyal to this inherited craft that they have inherited from their families and continue to earn their livelihood from it.

Animal bones took the center-stage to craft decorative and other articles of utility after the ban on ivory. Lucknow was always a place where artists and artisans innovated and experimented and their experiments and innovations were patronized by the Nawabs of Awadh who were connoisseur of all things good and gave high regard to craftsmen. Bone craft, though was not only restricted to Lucknow and was practiced in many other parts of India, but Lucknow’s was considered to be very intricate and probably the only place where buffalo bones were used for this craft. Buffalo bones are sourced from the butchers for whom these are of practically no use and then after processing traditionally, these are used to craft articles by the artisans. Beautiful masterpieces are produced out of these bones which include jewelry boxes, pens, hair clips and even fashion jewelry which includes necklaces, earnings et al.

This is a dying form of craft and to keep it alive, whatever exists of it, Tornos takes you to one such home based workshop where the family is involved in this craft. You understand the process, meet the craftsmen at work and interact with them directly to appreciate this craft. Of course there is an opportunity to buy directly from them.