The Government Museum, Chennai is well known for its collections of minor arts. They are housed in the first floor of the Front Building. A great majority of the exhibits are of metal ware objects. While the potter's products were popular with the masses, their imitations in metal began to be made by sthapatis for use in temple as well as in the houses of the well-to-do. No doubt the earthenware pots and pans had their own attraction and artistic embellishments. But the decorative designs with which the articles of metal ware came to be beautified surpassed both in beauty and variety those met with in pottery. Even the very shapes of the different items of an independent category of articles are artistic.
There are twenty two showcases in the Metal ware gallery where in different types of articles of daily use in the erstwhile household and in temples are exhibited. Thus among them lamps are a number of groups such as hand lamps, hanging lamps and Dipalakshmis or women lamp-bearers (Pavai-vilakku). In each of these groups distinct and independent types are observed. The Dipalakshmis are specially made by the wealthy people for donating to temples. In the temples of Tamil Nadu one will come across them frequently. Among the standing lamps the most popular are the Hamsa and Kinnari lamps. A special variety of standing lamps are called in Tamil "Kilai Vilakku" (Dipa Vriksha in Sanskrit) with a number of branches from which hang down rows of lamps is an important item usually met with in temples. In large temples like Madurai temple such lamps of huge dimensions may be found. There are two specimens in the collection of this Museum, which are called wedding lamps.
The other categories of metal ware articles are trays including Thanjavur trays which have bas-reliefs in copper and silver on their inner side, utensils employed in the worship of a temple in South India, the articles of daily use like Chellappetti (in which betel leaves, cloves, betel nuts and Chunnam are kept), combs, collyrium boxes, Chunnam boxes, nut cutters and so on; toys, bell metal utensils in everyday use in a South Indian home and models of household utensils of the well-to-do of Malabar.
A collection of Bidrieware articles are also on show in this gallery, besides a representative of collection of utensils used by Muslims of South India. The Bidrieware articles are beautiful in their form and designs on them. In Bidrie, the metal ground is copper, tin and lead made black on the surface by a solution of "Sal ammoniac" and "Sulphate" when the required pattern is graven over the desired article under preparation and inlaid with silver, it is washed with oil and polished, the effect is magical.
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