What this covers

• Madhubani (Mithila) paintings: hand-executed folk paintings from the Mithila region (Bihar), GI-registered since 2007. Traditionally done with fingers/twigs/pen nibs using natural dyes and bold linework; villages like Jitwarpur and Ranti are noted clusters.
• Madhubani-inspired jewelry: hand-painted wooden/terracotta/lac or mixed-media pieces using Madhubani motifs (falls under HS 7117 – imitation jewellery; precious-metal variants would be HS 7113).
  

Exports snapshot

Paintings (HS 9701, a sub-set of Chapter 97 “Works of art”)

• India’s Chapter 97 exports were ~US$169m (2023); HS 9701 (paintings/drawings) ≈ US$143m (84% of Chapter 97). Top destinations: USA (~29%), France (~25%), UK (~11%).
  

Imitation jewellery (HS 7117)

• India exported ~US$145m in 2023; major buyers: USA (28%), UK (10%), Spain (6%), followed by France, Netherlands, UAE, Italy.
  

Why this is specific to India & the Mithila region

• GI protection & origin: Madhubani Paintings are officially GI-registered (Application No. 37) as a Bihar handicraft; the GI entry anchors origin and artisan authorization.
• Materials & technique: canonical features—two-dimensional imagery, dense pattern filling, double-line borders, and natural pigments (e.g., lampblack, turmeric, indigo, plant/flower extracts). Tools include fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens. Motifs: fish (fertility), peacock (love), lotus, sun, bamboo, kohbar marriage scenes).
• Recognized styles: widely cited style families include Bharni, Kachni, Tantrik, Godna, Kohbar—useful language for curation and SKU taxonomy.
• Institutional ecosystem: the Upendra Maharathi Shilp Anusandhan Sansthan (UMSAS), Govt. of Bihar, runs structured training/skill programs in Madhubani painting—supporting supply reliability and artisan capacity.
  

Quality & compliance

A) Madhubani Paintings (HS 9701)

• Authenticity: source from GI-authorized clusters/artisans; maintain artist attribution + provenance on COA/labels.
  
• Materials: acid-free/archival handmade paper, canvas or tussar silk; declare natural vs. synthetic pigments. (Bihar Tourism and reference texts describe traditional natural pigments/tools.)
  
• Packaging: for export—flat board sandwich or rolled tubes with moisture protection; HS 9701 on paperwork (duty treatment often differs from décor goods).
  

B) Madhubani-inspired Jewelry

• Chemical safety (EU/UK/EEA):
  
  • Nickel release: ≤ 0.5 µg/cm²/week for items in direct/prolonged skin contact; ≤ 0.2 µg/cm²/week for body-piercing parts (EN 1811:2023 test method update).
    
  • Lead (in jewellery articles): ≤ 0.05% by weight (REACH Annex XVII entry 63).
    
  • Cadmium (metal parts of jewellery): ≤ 0.01% (Annex XVII entry 23).
    
  • Master list of restrictions: ECHA Annex XVII.
    
• Hallmarking (India, precious jewellery only): BIS hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery sold domestically (IS 1417/IS 15820 framework). Not applicable to non-precious (HS 7117) but relevant if you commission precious-metal Madhubani pieces (HS 7113).
  

Product strengths to highlight (for listings & buyer decks)

• “GI-tagged folk art from Bihar”: emphasize registered GI + artisan cluster names (e.g., Jitwarpur, Ranti).
  
• Iconic motifs with meaning: fish/peacock/lotus/kohbar narratives resonate for weddings, hospitality and cultural gifting lines.
  
• Wearable art: hand-painted jewellery sets translate Bharni/Kachni idioms into contemporary fashion accessories under HS 7117—low duty brackets in many markets vs. precious metals
  
• Capacity & continuity: state-run training/skill programs (UMSAS) plus frequent sourcing fairs (e.g., IHGF by EPCH) sustain supply and market linkages.
  

HS mapping (for quotes & paperwork)

• Madhubani paintings: HS 9701 (original paintings/drawings executed entirely by hand).
  
• Madhubani-inspired imitation jewellery: HS 7117; precious-metal jewellery (if any): HS 7113
  

Quick spec checklists you can reuse

Paintings (HS 9701)

• Medium & base (paper/canvas/silk), pigment type (natural/synthetic), size, artist name, provenance/COA, care notes; GI mention where applicable.
  

Jewelry (HS 7117)

• Substrate (wood/terracotta/lac/metal), coating/varnish, REACH compliance (nickel release, lead, cadmium), hardware composition, finish durability, packaging.