Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts

The word maharaja, literally 'great king', conjures up a vision of splendour and magnificence. This lavishly illustrated book examines the real and perceived worlds of the maharaja from the early eighteenth century to 1947, when the Indian Princes ceded their territories into the modern states of India and Pakistan. Jackson and Jaffer explore the spectacular material culture of India's rulers, examining Indian and Western works from a wide range of media including paintings, photographs, textiles and dress, jewellery, jewelled objects, metalwork and furniture. These are considered within a broader historical context, exploring royal status and identity, court culture and patronage.