Indian Art in the Royal Collection

The Royal Collection contains an extraordinarily rich variety of material from South Asia, spanning 600 years of artistry and craftsmanship. Almost every region from South Asia is represented, showcasing the region's finest materials and techniques. Some of these items were exchanged as courtly gifts, others were eagerly collected in person by members of the British royal family during visits to the subcontinents, and still others reflect the complex dynamics of empire and commonwealth. British royal interest in South Asia stems back as far as Elizabeth I and the founding of the East India Company in 1600, and collecting and exchange went on more and more through subsequent reigns, right up to Queen Victoria. In the Royal Collection is a necklace presented to Queen Victoria which really encapsulates the relationship between Britain and India at this time. The necklace was reset for Queen Victoria by London jewellers, but using gemstones sent to her by the Maharajas of Gwalior and Mysore. And what the jewellers have done is that they have created a new piece but retained the traditional Indian style of gem setting, and so you've got in this one object a real symbol of the dialogue between Britain and India and the two-way movement of inspiration and materials. Perhaps the most extensive and high-profile royal tour of South Asia was undertaken by King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales. In 1875-76 he visited what is now India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. A dagger presented when he was Prince of Wales is a really visual and powerful combination of British and Indian symbols. You've got British symbols, Prince of Wales's feathers, the thistle, the rose, the shamrock, to make a really personal gift for presentation to the Prince. But at the same time on the scabbard you have the motto of the Order of the Star of India, which was established by Queen Victoria in 1861. King Edward VII's relationship with India continued after he became king. His coronation in 1902 was attended by several Indian rulers, including the Maharaja of Jaipur, who brought with him a dazzling sword with the scabbard inset with 719 diamonds. The diamonds, for all their size, are not as deep as they look when you first see them. They're actually incredibly finely cut slivers of diamond, like little window panes that have had silver foil dished and put behind them to help them reflect the light and have added luminosity. But the stone setting is the thing that I particularly love and that creates a wonderfully organic and free-form setting in a way that we don't often find in European settings. My background comes from the Indian subcontinent and so do my roots. My particular interest in this collection is due to the fact that all these objects, they represent the diverse Indian culture and the varied traditions of such a large country. The object which resonated for me was a particular tray of a perfume holder. It has eight oval medallions depicting hunting scenes from different forts in Rajasthan. I remember visiting these forts in my childhood with my parents and when I saw these enameled images, the childhood memories just came alive. The British monarchy continues to have a very vibrant relationship to South Asia. Queen Elizabeth II visited India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on numerous occasions during her reign and His Majesty the King has visited India almost a dozen times as Prince of Wales. Today the Indian and South Asian works of art in the Royal Collection are a really vibrant testimony to the complex and close relations between Britain and the subcontinent.