Jewels from a museum

A collection which started with a khaas dan (betel leaf container) that Rajesh Ajmera and Rajiv Arora, founders of jewellery house Amrapali, bought in 1981-82 has grown into a treasure chest that is now housed at the Amrapali Museum in Jaipur. The museum, which opened earlier this year during the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, houses around 4,000 objects from their collection built over 37 years, and sourced from tribes and communities, royal personages and wealthy individuals from across the country.

The result is a glimpse of the rich geographical diversity of jewellery– head ornaments such as Rajasthan's borla and Tamil Nadu's jadai nagam (worn on braids), ear ornaments like Assam's thuria (earplugs) and Kerala's kombanjali (dangle earrings), a pair of 10 anklets for each feet* from Rajasthan, mojris(footwear) made of gold and silver, necklace and pendants from Hyderabad, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan, bracelets and bajubands from south India and Hyderabad besides jewellery for the nose, arms, toe and wrist. The museum also has a collection of ornaments worn by men like a very heavy silver waist band from Calicut called Araipatta, kurta buttons and a mukut (bridegroom's crown) from Himachal Pradesh.

The highlight of the collection is a 12-feet-long silver and wooden chariot which belonged to the Jain community in Gujarat. Other objects include betel leaf containers, chuski (wine flask), hookahs, gunpowder flasks, ittradaan (perfume box), tea sets, caskets, cigar cases, rose water sprinklers, besides personal accessories like perfume bottles, fish miniatures* and silver pouches. The museum also has a few example of textile embellished in gold and silver using techniques like zari, zardosi, gold leafing, among others.

Also in evidence is the rich variety of techniques used to fashion gold and silver jewellery and objects such as soldering, hammering, chiseling, engraving, repoussé and chasing.

"The main aim is to show what people from East to West and North to South used to wear from head to toe. Jewellery was seen as an investment, and many used to wear them all the time on their body because they didn't want their possessions to be stolen," says Arora. He informs, further, that though they have spent a lot of time in researching the objects, their dating is an estimate based on documents, paintings, sculptures and personal interactions. The museum now wants to work with scholars to research the objects and document them in books to be published by the museum.

Elephant-headed sceptre

Dating back to the 18th century, this elephant-headed sceptre is from Rajasthan where it would have been a part of a maharaja's regalia. Such sceptres were used in pairs and held aloft by courtiers as they walked beside or behind the ruler during processions. Made of silver and parcel-gilt, this sceptre has been designed using hammering, repoussé and chasing technique on a thick silver sheet.

Silver and Gold Hookahs

The gold gilt hookah belongs to Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, where it was made sometime around the 17th-18th century. Made from gold and silver, the hookah has been designed using repoussé and chasing alongside soldering and chiselling. The silver hookah dates back to the 19th-20th century, north/central India. It uses several metal-working techniques — soldering, piercing, hammering and chiselling besides repoussé and chasing.

Enamel Spice Box

This 19th-century Rajasthani chaupda or spice box comprises six outer hexagonal sections and a central section on the top that features a silver-gilt set with crystals and enamel work in translucent blue, mulberry and green.

Jade bookstand

Created using a single jade piece with no joints in between, this bookstand was made sometime in 16th-17th century to hold the Quran. It features Kundan inlay, which uses a highly refined and pure form of molten gold. The scalloped arches on the stand's legs are typical of the architectural forms associated with the Mughals.

Chuski (Wine Flask)

The two dancing figures are 19th-century wine flasks, locally known as chuski, made in Jaipur in the. Wine is filled through the headdress and poured through the raised right hand. The entire body is made from silver using techniques of casting, granulation, engraving and soldering. Interestingly, the figures stand on circular plinths carved infoliage patterns.

Ittradan

Made from gilded silver with green glass hangings and flower motifs on its body, this 19-century ittradan or perfume box is from Benares or Awadh. Inside, there is a silver panel with six circular holes to hold six bottles of ittra. The gold and silver box has been designed using hammering, bending, chiselling, wire bending and dapping technique.