Carved, Not Scrambled

There are other things to do with an egg.

There are other things to do with an egg.

Watching artist Farha Sayeed transform a humble egg into an intricately carved carriage in a matter of minutes is nothing short of magic. The only Indian member of the International Egg Art Guild, Farha has been practising this art for 12 years. “The practice of decorating eggs goes back to ancient times when they were coloured and presented as gifts to celebrate the cycle of life,” she says. This art form reached a new high when legendary Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Faberge began creating fabulous egg-shaped treasures for the royal family.

“I came across egg art in Qatar 12 years ago and enrolled for a short term course. It was different and rather difficult,” she says.

The process of egg decoration is rather tedious and elaborate, with some taking up to three weeks to complete. Sayeed works with a gamut of eggs, ranging from those of geese, hens, ducks, turkeys, to emus and ostriches. But she makes it a point to only use eggs from hatcheries or farms. None are taken from the wild. “I order ostrich eggs from Austria and emu eggs from Texas. These empty eggshells are cleaned and disinfected, after which I begin my work. The ones that need to be painted and decorated are treated with liquid polymers in order to harden them. However, I don’t treat the eggs that need to be carved,” says Farha.

She uses a pocket drill to make the carvings, after which she employs techniques like decoupage, trolling, etching, engraving, dyeing and beadwork to create her masterpieces. “I usually ornament eggs using pearls, beads, brocade, velvet, satin, rhinestone chains, filigree and silk prints,” she says.

Sayeed prices them on the basis of the kind of egg used, ornamentation and the number of hours put in to complete them. “One of my creations, The Royal Coach, which had been made out of an ostrich egg, fetched about $2,000 at my solo exhibition held in 2008 at Jeddah,” says Farha.

Eggxotica will show at the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, from 11 to 15 April

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