Maharaja & Mughal Magnifice (Book)

This is a scarce copy of a Sotheby Parke Bernet sale catalogue (Sunday 25th May 1980) of the contents of the Maharaja of Indore's modernistic Madik Bagh palace which he had designed ...

This book is a monograph on the work of this very individual and very stylized goldsmith/silversmith whose main body of work (so far), has spanned the last third of the 20th century and just into the 21st century. He uses precious metals, mainly silver and gold but he also uses vermeil, which is the gilding of sterling silver with gold by electrolysis, together with precious and semi precious stones, his favorites seem to be lapis lazuli, ivory and rock crystal. His creations are mainly jewellery, Precious objects (Objets de Vertu...

A Monograph on this most important Brazilian furniture designer and maker from the mid-20th century. He opened his factory in 1943 and one of his main clients was the architect Oscar Niemeyer, for whose designs a number of original pieces were commissioned. He was well-known for making use of indigenous...

Introduction by Major-General Sir Randle Feilden, K.C.V.O., C.B., C.B.E. (Senior Steward of the Jockey Club) A pictorial dictionary of racing colours; as much a work of graphic art as a reference book. Each page contains a grid of 30 line drawings of a jockey shirt and cap with the colours and names of the owners. The whole makes a stunning graphic design book. Here is the perfect book of reference for all those racing people interested not only in contemporary racing colours but also in their history. In these 364 pages of superb colour are depicted nearly 10,000 registered owners' racing colours, each one carefully drawn by hand and beautifully reproduced. As a work of art and as a reference book, The Benson and Hedges...

A monograph on the French interior designer, furniture designer and decorator whose working life spanned most of the 20th century. During his career he worked with nearly all the gre...

A very scarce book printed in 1971, now long out of print, but still held to be one of the Classic books on interior decoration and design. The book covers a period of approximately one hundred years from 1880 to the year of printing. During this time Jansen expanded...

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. The core of this lavishly photographed book is the encounter between Indian princely magnificence and the best of European Jewellery designers in the 20th century when many of the Maharaja's travelled to Europe with trunks filled with traditional Indian jewels and unset stones...

Made for Maharajas A Design Diary of Princely India By: Amin Jaffer The Indian princes of the British Raj lived lives of unparalleled opulence and luxury. Made for Maharajas returns...

Mughal - style Indian dagger. Made with rock crystal and inlaid gold. United Kingdom, late 19th century.

Mughal gem-set jade-hilted dagger adorned with wood engravings and accompanied by a resplendent red textile-covered wooden scabbard. This remarkable piece of weaponry encapsulates the opulence and artistic finesse characteristic of the Mughal era. The dagger's hilt is a true testament to the mastery of gem setting, featuring a meticulously carved jade handle embellished with precious gemstones. The jade, known for its elegance and durability, provides a luxurious and smooth grip, ensuring both functionality and aesthetic pleasure. The gemstones, meticulously chosen and set with precision, add a touch of grandeur, casting a mesmerizing play of colors as light dances upon their surfaces. The gold engravings on the piece serve as a testament to the rich artistic heritage of the Mughal empire and exemplify the attention to detail and the artistic sophistication that defined Mughal artistry. Aesthetically complementing the dagger, the wooden scabbard is covered in a vibrant red textile, offering a striking contrast to the gleaming gold and jade. The meticulously chosen fabric exudes elegance and richness, adding another layer of visual allure to the ensemble. This gem-set jade-hilted dagger represents more than just a weapon; it is a tangible piece of history, a relic of a bygone era when the Mughal dynasty...

Made for Maharajas A Design Diary of Princely India By Amin Jaffer and Martand Singh.Large hardcover coffee table book 2006.Great condition.Brings together a range of works made for Indian princes by western artistsIndian royalty's passion for western luxury goods reached its peak at the height of the British Raj (1857-1947) as Indian rulers traveled to Europe and began to model their lives along western lines. Commissioning architects to design palaces in modern or historic styles, purchasing fleets of cars, and ordering their family jewels to be reset by the most skilled European goldsmiths, Indian princes established themselves as the new creative patrons of European high design.Based equally in the archives of firms such as Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet and Hermès, and in palace and private collections, this book explores the role of maharajas in an age of high spending and fashion. It brings together original designs with surviving objects, exploring for the first time the creative dialogue between Indian princes and the skilled tradesmen who produced wonders for their delectation. Married to the objects themselves are the absorbing and often humourous accounts of how maharajas indulged their tastes with unparalleled extravagance and aplomb. Made for Maharajas book by Amin Jaffer. The Indian princes of the British Raj lived lives of unparalleled opulence and luxury. Made for Maharajas returns readers to that resplendent era, presenting a selection of one-of-a-kind objects crafted to order by the outstanding European luxury goods manufacturers, fashion houses, and decorators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here are the custom-designed cars, jewelry, and extraordinary objéts d’art commissioned by maharajas, nawabs, nizams, and sultans from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Harry Winston, and others, accompanied by anecdotes that illuminate this sumptuous way of life. Many of the illustrations in this book have never been previously reproduced outside of India, making this not only the first volume of its kind, but a remarkable keepsake that may never be duplicated in our lifetime. This volume explores the role of maharajas in this age of high spending and fashion. It brings together original designs with surviving objects, exploring for the first time the creative dialogue between Indian princes and the skilled tradesmen who produced wonders for their delectation. Amin Jaffer is a curator in the department of Asian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where he specializes in Indian art in the age of European influence. Jaffer lectures frequently in Europe, America, and India and contributes regularly to journals and newspapers. Title Made for Maharajas: A Design Diary of Princely India Author Amin Jaffer Edition illustrated Publisher New Holland, 2006 Length 275 pages This is a beautiful large coffee table Art book. * Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roli Books (September 1, 2006) * Language ‏ : ‎ English * Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 276 pages * Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.34 x 1.43 x 11.8 inches About the author: Dr Amin Jaffer is Senior Curator of The Al Thani Collection...

Featuring 125 seminal cookbooks from the last 100 years, Cookbook Book is a celebration of the world's most beautiful, influential and informative cookbooks. From the tried-and-tr...