Pichwai Plates Buying Guide: Sizes & Motifs

By Avyaan | Buying Guide | 6 min read

The market for Pichwai plates has grown considerably in the past five years, which means both more choice for buyers and more opportunity for confusion. This buying guide is designed to help you navigate the options methodically — by size, motif, quality markers, and price.

Step 1: Know Your Space

Before anything else, measure the space where you plan to display the plate or plates. If you are hanging on a wall, you need the wall dimensions and the dimensions of any furniture below it (plates displayed above a console table or sideboard should generally be no wider than two-thirds of the furniture's width). If displaying on a shelf, measure the shelf depth — you need at least 15 cm for a plate stand, and ideally 20 cm for stability.

Step 2: Understand the Size Options

6–8 inch plates: Best for shelf arrangements, groupings, or gifting. Cannot stand alone as a display piece.
10–12 inch plates: The workhorse size. Versatile enough for walls, shelves, or table displays. The artist has enough surface to develop a complete composition.
14–16 inch plates: Statement pieces. Used individually on walls or as centrepieces. Commanding enough to anchor a room.
18 inches and above: Collector pieces. These are significant acquisitions — in size, in price, and in visual weight.

Step 3: Choose Your Motif

Shrinathji with Cows (Most Traditional)

The classic Pichwai composition — Shrinathji at centre, cows in procession, lotus borders. Appropriate for any home, any setting. The most versatile motif and the one most closely associated with authentic Nathdwara tradition.

Lotus Pool (Kamal Talab)

A composition focused on lotuses, often with Shrinathji smaller at the top and a large pond of blooming lotuses dominating the lower half. Very popular with interior designers for its calm, contemplative quality.

Monsoon Pichwai

Deep blues, peacocks, dark clouds, kadamba trees. Dramatic and atmospheric. Best in rooms with warm artificial lighting where the blue-gold contrast can be appreciated.

Holi / Festival Scenes

Brighter, more complex compositions with multiple figures, bright reds and oranges, a sense of movement and celebration. Best in energetic spaces — dining rooms, living rooms where people gather.

Step 4: Assess Quality

When buying online, ask the seller for:

Multiple photographs including close-up details of the face and gold work
Information about the artist's name and training
Clarification on whether gold work is real gold lustre or gold-coloured metallic paint
Whether the plate is food-safe or strictly decorative

Step 5: What Interior Designers Recommend

We asked several interior designers who work with Indian craft to share their practical advice for buying Pichwai plates:

"Buy one plate first. Live with it for a month. See how the light hits it at different times of day. Then decide whether you want more." — Interior designer, Mumbai

"Don't mix Pichwai plates with unrelated ceramics on the same shelf. They have a strong visual voice — they work best with similar-toned Indian craft objects or with simple, neutral backgrounds." — Interior designer, Delhi

"For wall display, the plate should be at eye level when standing — not above a sofa at sitting height. Pichwai plates need to be looked at properly, not glanced up at." — Interior designer, Bengaluru

Find your ideal Pichwai plate at https://aavyaan.com/