The vast Deccan plateau of south-central India stretches from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the region was home to several major Muslim kingdoms and became a nexus of international trade — most notably in diamonds and textiles, through which the sultanates attained remarkable wealth. The opulent art of the Deccan courts, invigorated by cultural connections to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, developed an otherworldly character distinct from that of the contemporary Mughal north: in painting, a poetic lyricism and audacious use of color; in the decorative arts, lively creations of inlaid metalware and painted and dyed textiles; and in architecture, a somber grandeur still visible today in breathtaking monuments throughout the plateau. The first book to fully explore the history and legacy of these kingdoms, Sultans of Deccan India elucidates the predominant themes in Deccani art—the region’s diverse spiritual traditions, its exchanges with the outside world, and the powerful styles of expression that evolved under court patronage—with fresh insights and new scholarship. Alongside the discussion of the art, lively, engaging essays by some of the field’s leading scholars offer perspectives on the cycles of victory and conquest as dynasties competed with one another, vied with Vijayanagara, a great empire to the south, and finally succumbed to the Mughals from the north. Featuring some 200 of the finest works from the Deccan sultanates, as well as spectacular site photographs and informative maps, this magnificently illustrated catalogue provides the most comprehensive examination of this world to date and constitutes a pioneering resource for specialists and general readers alike.

Armor and weaponry were central to Islamic culture not only as a means of conquest and the spread of the faith, but also as symbols of status, wealth, and power. The finest arms were made by master craftsmen working with the leading designers, goldsmiths, and jewelers, whose work transformed utilitarian military equipment into courtly works of art. This book reveals the diversity and artistic quality of one of the most important and encyclopedic collections of its kind in the West. The Metropolitan Museum's holdings span ten centuries and include representative pieces from almost every Islamic culture from Spain to the Caucasus. The collection includes rare early works, among them the oldest documented Islamic sword, and is rich in helmets and body armor, decorated with calligraphy and arabesques, that were worn in Iran and Anatolia in the late fifteenth century. Other masterpieces include a jeweled short sword (yatagan) with a blade of "watered" steel that comes from the court of Süleyman the Magnificent, a seventeenth-century gold-inlaid armor associated with Shah Jahan, and two gold-inlaid flintlock firearms belonging to the guard of Tipu Sultan of Mysore. Presenting 126 objects, each handsomely photographed and richly documented with a detailed description and discussion of its technical, historical, and artistic importance, this overview of the Met's holdings is supplemented by an introductory essay on the formation of the collection, and appendixes on iconography and on Turkman-style armor.

This spectacular volume reveals for the first time an exceptional private collection of the most beautiful royal Indian jewels from the Mughal Empire to the British Raj to today. Written by renowned jewelry experts and featuring magnificent original photography by Laziz Hamani, Beyond Extravagance explores the centuries-long tradition of fine jewelry and art objects in India, to contemporary interpretations that continue to evolve today.

"This catalogue is the first comprehensive study of the 328 objects that make up this little-known area of the Royal Collection. The ancient gems and intaglios have been catalogued by John Boardman, and although they are few in number, they include the magnificent Claudius cameo that was once in the collection of Charles I. The later, post-Renaissance pieces have been studied by Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti, and these include the great Tudor portrait cameos, a superb series of Italian sixteenth-century portrait cameos of North Italian 'Beauties', the group of exquisite eighteenth-century Italian carnelians bought by George III from Consul Smith in 1762 and a fine selection of Garter badges, several bearing the signature of the gem-engravers Marchant and Burch." "Close examination by gemmologists has produced an accurate technical analysis of all the stones and settings, and newly commissioned photographs bring out the distinctive features of each piece. Casts are illustrated wherever possible, and close-tip images of signatures, inscriptions and hallmarks support the detailed descriptions in the text. Research into the collection has resulted in new information concerning the mounts of many of the gems, and this is summarised in an illustrated appendix. Also published in full, and for the first time, is the collection of intaglios once owned by Henry, Prince of Wales, which was recorded in a series of wax impressions made by Elias Ashmole at the request of Charles II in June 1660."--BOOK JACKET.

Looks at the outstanding collection of jewels belonging to the royal family of Great Britain, and discusses the people who have acquired and worn the gems

An amazing collection of images of the Romanovs, their world, and their fabulous jewels brings the last years of the dynasty to life