Maharajas' Jewels - Hardcover

Katherine Prior; John Adamson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 086565218X ISBN 13: 9780865652187

Publisher: Vendome Pr, 1836

Synopsis

The stories of Indian princes and their jewelry and precious stones are brought together in this illustrated narrative tracing the rise and fall of India's leading royal houses through the dramatic fortunes of their crown jewels. Traditionally, precious metals and jewels have been, for Indians rich and poor, a repository of wealth and a status symbol. For the reigning families, jewels also had symbolic and religious significance.
Also here are the original drawings by great European jewelers of the pieces they designed for their exotic and demanding clients. The text is both lively and scholarly, drawing from descriptions of such travelers as Marco Polo and Tavernier as well as Sanskrit dramatists extolling the riches of India.

About this title

About the Author

Katherine Prior is a historian specializing in the British Empire, focusing on India. She has a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. She is regularly published in books and academic journals, and is also an exhibition consultant for the Museum of the British Empire. She lives in London.

John Adamson has studied at Devon and the Universities of Edinburgh and Geneva. He has worked at the Cambridge University Press, was head of publications at the National Portrait Gallery, and now runs a publishing house in Cambridge.

Reviews

For a nation with a dismal economy, India has enormous gold reserves in the personal jewelry of the vast majority of the Indian people. However, the authors of this well-documented and beautifully illustrated volume focus on the jewelry of Indian maharajas and royalty, who saw it as a source of power and prestige. The six chapters span several thousand years, from Mughal times to the present, covering tales of untold riches and a history of exploitation by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, who exported precious gems and jewelry to the royal houses of Europe. Following India's independence from Britain, most of these treasures disappeared or went underground. Now this jewelry is once again on view in this spectacular work, highlighting the renowned Baroda pearls, Indore pears, and Arcot diamonds as well as creations by Boucheron, Cartier, Garrard, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Weaving together mystery, intrigue, symbolism, and astrology, this fascinating book is a welcome addition to any library collecting books on jewelry. Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Vendome Pr
• Publication date: 1836
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 086565218X
• ISBN 13: 9780865652187
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 2