VIZAGAPATAM.
spurs for fighting-cocks at Rámabhadrapuram on the Vizianagram-Sálúr road.
At Vizagapatam two or three firms1[1] manufacture for European clients fancy articles (such as chess-boards, photograph frames, card cases, trinket boxes and so on) from tortoiseshell, horn, porcupine quills and ivory. The industry is in a flourishing state and has won many medals at exhibitions. It is stated to have been introduced by Mr. Fane, Collector from 1859 to 1862, and to have then been developed by the Kamsális and the men of other castes who eventually took it up. The foundation of the fancy articles is usually sandalwood,which is imported from Bombay. Over this are laid porcupine quills split in half and placed side by side, or thin slices of polished bison, bufialo or stag horn, of tortoiseshell, or of ivory. The ivory is sometimes laid over the horn or shell, and is always either cut into geometrical patterns with a small keyhole saw or etched with designs representing gods and flowers. The etching is done with a small V-tool and then black wax is melted into the design with a tool like a soldering-iron, any excess being scraped off with a chisel, and the result is polished with a leaf of the Ficus asperrina. This gives a black design syraffito on a white ground. The horn and porcupine quills are obtained from the Agency, and the tortoiseshell and ivory mainly from Bombay through the local Márváris.
The designs employed both in the etching and the fretwork are stiff, and suited rather to work in metal than in ivory, and the chief merit of this Vizagapatam work perhaps lies in its careful finish, a rare quality in Indian objects of art. The ivory is never carved now, but in the Calcutta Museum and elsewhere may be seen samples of the older Vizagapatam work which often contained ivory panels covered with scenes from holy writ executed in considerable relief.
Lacquer- work of the usual kind is done at Nakkapalli in Sarvasiddhi taluk, at Chandanádu a few miles to the south of it, at Étikoppáka in Sarvasiddhi taluk, and at Lakkavarapukóta and Srungavarapukóta. Wood is turned on the ordinary primitive lathe and lac of various colours is then applied to it until the heat generated by the friction melts the lac and makes some of it stick to the wood. This is then polished with serew-pine leaves,bits of cloth, etc. The wood generally used is ankudu (Wrightia tinctoria). The Chandanádu and Nakkapalli work is the best,
128
- ↑ 1 Golthy Kannaiah, Gamula Ramalingam and Chinna Viranna may be
