Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts

Exhibition

from October 10 2009
to January 17 2010
at Victoria and Albert Museum

Maharaja will explore the fascination for luxury goods by Indian royalty from the 1850s to the 1947. It will showcase the rich and varied objects commissioned by Indian princes reflecting the different aspects of royal life. Unique works by European brand names like Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Herm's will be shown alongside extraordinary examples of dress, jewellery, photography and automobiles, bringing to life the extravagance and opulence of the Maharaja lifestyle in the context of socio-political events in turn-of-the-century India.