Indian royal gifts on display

LONDON : Exquisite examples of Indian craftsmanship that took years to produce – including an illuminated Padshahnama (Book of Emperors) and an attardan (perfume holder) from Jaipur – are among more than 150 priceless items that went on display at the Buckingham Palace on Friday.

Highlighting India in London’s cultural calendar during the summer, the Queen’s Gallery in the palace is hosting two exhibitions titled Splendours Of The Subcontinent — one on four centuries of South Asian paintings and manuscripts, and the other displaying gifts given to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who toured India during 1875-76.

Drawn from the royal collection, which contains one of the world's most wide-ranging compilations of material from the region, the items reflect the historic ritual of diplomatic gift-giving in the relationship between the British monarchy and rulers in South Asia.

Among the most important gifts is the Padshahnama (Book of Emperors, the manuscript recording the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, which was sent to George III by the ruler of Awadh in 1799. Ten paintings from the Padshahnama, the only contemporary illustrated imperial volume to survive, are on display. Exhibition organisers said the Khamsa (Quintet) of Nava'i, 1492, and the Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di, 1584, also presented to George III, are among the finest examples of manuscripts that combine intricate calligraphy with exquisite illuminations.

Sacred religious texts too were presented as gifts, including the 3.5-metre Quran Scroll, thought to have been given to George IV by one of the rulers of the Carnatic. All 114 chapters of the Quran are written on the scroll's 5-cm surface in a miniscule naskh script, known as ghubar (dust).