In tones of black and orange, a school of fish swim in harmony in this traditional Madhubani painting from India. Devendra Kumar Jha and Family create this rectangular painting, working in a folk art style that originates from the Mithila region. From painting the composition to crafting the dyes and paper, every step in the process is done by hand.
Made in India
Vegetable dyes on handmade paper
Arrives unframed
Signed by the artist
Each work features slight variations that make it unique
My mother, who is a state award winner in Madhubani, the painting style that I use, was my mentor."
Latest Update “Life is a journey, and Madhubani painting has always been a part of my journey. Today I can proudly say...Latest Update
“Life is a journey, and Madhubani painting has always been a part of my journey. Today I can proudly say that even if I leave Madhubani painting, Madhubani painting will never leave me.
“It’s been almost 19 years now since I first joined Novica. Over the years I have grown with Novica. When I joined as an artisan, I had just started painting. My association with painting was not very long then. But I had been painting since I was a child, as Madhubani painting is in my blood and my mother was my mentor.
“As I grew up and mastered the art, I decided to shift my base to Delhi from Jitwarpur, Bihar where I originally came from. After coming to Delhi, initially I had to face a lot of challenges. I participated in many local fairs and exhibited my paintings. This is when I happen to learn about Novica and the great opportunity it provided for upcoming artists and artisans across the globe. This was a good chance for me to show my talent to the world.
“It is not difficult for me to do this art form, as I have inherited it from my tradition and culture and it feels great and I take pride in it. The technique and tools for my painting have not changed at all. I execute my paintings by using natural colors on handmade paper like I did earlier, and use brushes, sharpened reeds and pen nibs for drawing the designs and figuration like before.
“When I joined Novica, I had a lot of liabilities, but now I am living a stable and comfortable life. I have 5 children. My elder daughter who is very much interested in painting learned the art from me, and my wife who also knows the intricacies of Madhubani painting helps me in my work. I feel proud that coming from a small village, I could establish myself in the world of painting. I get immense pleasure and happiness while executing the paintings. Each painting has a story to tell.
“Earlier when I joined Novica, I was concentrating on doing only Madhubani paintings. But now, with the passing of time, I create journals, albums, photo frames, greeting cards and many more products with my paintings on them. Now I also do Madhubani painting on silk scarves, ties and fabric belts. I create these products as per orders from my patrons who love and appreciate my art form.
“Apart from receiving the State Award for Excellence in Madhubani paintings and the National Award, I have also received many other awards, like an award from the Kala Sanskriti Mantralaya (Ministry of Culture) in 2016, an award from the Gramin Vikas Vibhag (Ministry of Rural Development) in 2017, and awards from NGOs and the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts).
“Every year I participate in many exhibitions conducted by the Government of India which is held in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala along with many other parts of the country. I also participate in exhibitions held abroad like Milan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, organized by the Government of India.
“I have conducted Madhubani painting workshops in many schools and colleges in and around Delhi. Recently I did a workshop in one of the blind schools in Delhi, which was amazing and a unique experience altogether. I also teach Madhubani painting to 15 students assigned by the Government of India for 6 months, for which I receive a fixed amount. I also teach whoever is keen to learn the Madhubani art form and approaches me for the same.
“It has been a wonderful journey for me so far and I am thankful to all Novica customers for liking and appreciating my paintings. I wish to spread the beauty of traditional Madhubani art to the whole world.”
Original Artist Story
Join us in congratulating to Devendra and Family for receiving the State Award for Excellence for their Madhubani paintings! This award is conveyed by the Government of Bihar for year 2012-2013. Along with the State Award, he has also received the National Award for his Madhubani painting in the year 2013 conveyed by the president on behalf of the Government of India.
"I was born in 1969 in Jitwarpur, Bihar - an eastern state in India. My mother, who is a state award winner in Madhubani, the painting style that I use, was my mentor. Under her supervision and guidance I have emerged as an artist capable of creating these paintings.
"In this school of art we do not make preliminary sketches, nor is our work planned. We simply pick up our brushes and create. A vivid and creative imagination is essential in this style of art, for while motifs may be similar, no two paintings will ever be found to be the same."
Mithila, (in Bihar) is a scholastic and cultural center in India that traces its lineage of arts from epic times. Mithila paintings – alternately called Madhubani paintings – are a folk tradition kept alive by women in northern Bihar. They depict events from epic, mythology and traditional designs on their floors and walls of their houses using crushed wet rice and natural colors. From this age old tradition stemmed the practice of drawing Mithila paintings on a canvas of hand-made paper or pure mulberry silk fabric using natural colors and fabric dyes. Brushes, sharpened reeds and pen nibs are used.
Devendra Kumar Jha participates in numerous exhibitions conducted by the Government of India throughout the country. He also participates in exhibitions held abroad like Milan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka organized by the Government of India.
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WOMEN
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XXL
4
6
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12
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22
BUST
35 - 36
37 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
WAIST
27 - 28
29 - 30
31 - 33
34 - 36
38 - 40
HIPS
37 - 38
39 - 40
42 - 43
45 - 46
49 - 50
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
CHEST
36 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
50 - 52
WAIST
30 - 32
32 - 34
35 - 37
38 - 41
43 - 45
NECK
14 - 14.5
15 - 15.5
16 - 16.5
17 - 17.5
18 - 18.5
SLEEVE
32.5
33.5
34.5
35.5
36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE
Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.
BUST / CHEST
Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.
WAIST
Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.
LOW WAIST
Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.
HIPS
Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.
NECK
Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.
SLEEVE
Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.
INSEAM
Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.
Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.
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For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.
See buckle/tie belt size standards below.
WOMEN
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M
L
XL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
inches
26 - 30
28 - 32
31 - 35
34 - 38
38 - 42
cm
76 - 86
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
MEN
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M
L
XL
XXL
inches
30 - 34
32 - 36
35 - 39
39 - 43
43 - 47
cm
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
109 - 119
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
Sash tie length
Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.
Belt with buckle
Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.
Belt without buckle
Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.
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