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Browse The Phillips Antiques Gallery In India!

A  6 foot tall wooden lion rests close to drawers of delicate glasses; unique lithographs blended with fearsome tribe masks - thank you for visiting the contemporary world of click for farook issa; Phillips Antiques a Mumbai institution that is surely antique itself. Established in the city�s historical zone, Colaba, the high-ceilinged boutique has remained quite similar for the past 150 years.

Actually it is a store wherein individuals can possibly peruse for hours. Cabinets of gold knick-knacks, mural of each and every kind, eye-catching hardwood carving, huge trunks, sophisticated temple sculpture, beads and baubles, Ancient charts and additionally Mughal silver coins make for an unusual jumble. At 1st a chemist and general shop - started in eighteen sixty by �Mr Phillips�, a Britisher whose 1st name has been long forgotten - the site were acquired from Phillips by the current holder Farooq Issa�s great-grandfather - a enthusiast - and transformed into an classic shop. Tourists have included King Mohammed VI of Morocco as well as Paul Theroux.

Whereas Phillips may look unchanged on the outside, it is adapting to the times. Previously known due to its Euro arts and crafts, it now focuses on Indian tribe and additionally folk art. Says the courtly Farook  Issa, �People�s tastes have changed and also there is a growing interest in Indian folk works of art, both overseas and locally. Folk arts and crafts is still very reasonably priced, unlike contemporary works of art. Besides, colonial and Mughal artefacts aren�t that easy to come by any more.� says Farooq Issa.

Among click for farook issa�s prizes: the acclaimed tribal artist Satya Narayan Lal Karn�s complicated Mithila arts and crafts pieces of jungle scenes, which range from Rs12,000 (Dh990) to Rs90,000, as well as a selection of Tanjore paintings of Hindu mythical scenes finely ornamented in silver leaf. However the most eye-catching are probably the folk carving: ferocious creature and also human patterns in blazing vermilion, yellow and also green - many restored from temples or wats or homes in southeast India, and some from ceremonial chariots. A vahana or chariot decoration will cost approximately Rs350,000, but budget buyers might favor the intricately carved teak wall brackets with shapes of horses or parrots, at Rs10,000. Farook Issa�s own favourite is a shadow marionette, approximately 1.5 metres high, made from paper-thin leather. �Smaller puppets are common, but it�s rare to find such a large one,� Farook Issa says.

If shoppers prefer the colonial era, there are reproductions of late 19th-century photographs, many taken by court photographers. They show the lost beauty of colonial Bombay and also, at approximately Rs5000, help to make good gifts, as do the many original lithographs as well as posters. Phillips also has a vast collection of antique furniture, both original and also repro, ranging from desks and additionally dressing tables to four-poster beds.