Art Gallery, Patiala - 15

The gallery mainly features arts and crafts from the Punjab region. The highlight of the museum is its collection of medals, the largest in the world. There is also a collection of embroidered phulkaris, shawls and miniature paintings from the Sikh school.

The Darbar Hall in the Qila Mubarak houses an impressive collection of Chandeliers and historic arms. The chandelier Gallery possesses one of the finest collections of chandeliers anywhere in the world. It is also home to some beautifully painted portraits of royalty of Patiala and Britain.

The Sheesh Mahal Art Gallery displays a vast collection of rare miniature paintings of Patiala, Kapurthala, Kangra and Rajasthan. Other artifacts on show include Punjabi Folk art, Tibetan and orient cult objects, fine ivory and jade work and exquisite chandeliers and glass furniture of the Patiala state, including the Patiala throne and sofas made of Bohemian glass. The piece de resistance is a mammoth crystal double-storied fountain.

The Medal Gallery in the Sheesh Mahal contains probably the largest single and most valuable collections of medals and decorations in the world. The 3200 medals and decorations strong collection was acquired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and dedicated to the people of Punjab by his son Maharaja Yadavindra Singh. The prominent among the medals on display are the Victoria Crosses from Britain, Legion de Honor from France, the Iron Cross from Germany for gallantry and Most Noble Order of the Garter amongst the highest civilian honours in the world. The oldest in vintage is from Portugal and dates to the 12th century. Apart from the historic and vintage value, the real value in terms of precious stone and metal is itself beyond comprehension.

Sheesh Mahal's Natural History Gallery displays stuffed animals and birds curated by a celebrated English taxidermist in the early twentieth century.

Related Links :

01. Museums and Art Gallaries of India : A Survey - 1
02. Museums of Jammu and Kashmir : Sri Pratap Singh Museum Srinagar - 2
03. Art Gallery Jammu :Dogra Art Gallery - 3
04. Himachal Pradesh : The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Dharmshala - 4
05. Himachal Pradesh : Bhuri Singh Museum, Shimla - 5
06. Shimla State Museum - 6
07. The Nicholas Roerich Gallery, Shimla - 7
08. Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Summerhil, Shimla - 8
09. Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum, Naggar - 9
10. Punjab and Haryana : Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum, Amritsar - 10
11. Government Museum and Art Callery, Chandigarh - 11
12. The Chandigarh Architecture Museum - 12
13. The Natural History Museum, Chandigarh - 13
14. Anglo Sikh War Memorial Ferozeshah - 14

Art Gallery Jammu :Dogra Art Gallery - 3

Prehistoric terracotta objects are great views at this museum. Some terracotta busts of women with typical Gandhara facial features and Greek hairstyles are believed to date back to the 4th and 8th centuries AD. A rich collection of miniature paintings represents examples from the Jammu, Basbhli and Kangra schools. There are also ancient coins, silver and copper ornaments and Sanskrit and Pharsi manuscripts.

This is located in the formerly Pink Hall of the old Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex. This museum houses 800 rare and delicately beautiful paintings from different schools of paintings viz: Basohli, Jammu and Kangra. Gold painted bow and arrow of Shah Jehan and a number carpentary tools make an important section of the display. The museum also has Shahnama and Sikandernama hand written manuscripts in Persian.

Related Links :

01. Museums and Art Gallaries of India : A Survey - 1
02. Museums of Jammu and Kashmir : Sri Pratap Singh Museum Srinagar - 2

Indian Art and Craft : Shekhavati - India's Open Air Art Gallery - 7

Shekhavati in north east Rajasthan that once fell on the Spice route of merchants, is an open air treasure. Its numerous painted homes lining the streets of small towns make the region the largest open air art gallery in the world.

The architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries consists of an exaggerated display of the wealth of the merchants of the region (Marwaris). This region is special, as it has produced the maximum number of millionaires and billionaires in India. Shekhwati is named after its ruler Rao Shekha of the 15th century. Strategically placed on the route between the ports of Gujarat and northern India, the region became very prosperous by imposing levies on the caravans of traders passing through. When the region's fortunes fell after the development of new ports like Mumbai and Kolkata, the merchants migrated en masse.

The paintings are to be found everywhere in profusion, on walls, balconies, ceilings, arches and pillars, on the dome of the cenotaphs (cremation grounds) and even on the rim of the wells.

The havelis (homes with courtyards) are huge. The piece de resistance is the fine depiction of various designs and characters in the form of frescoes covering all walls and ceilings. Blue and maroon are prominent colors, through vivid golds are also used. Illustrations range from floral to mythology to even scientific inventions. The paintings convey that the prosperous merchants must have been very impressed by their overseas travels as there are several paintings of English ladies, motorcars, gramophones and even the Wright brothers!

Prominent towns of the region are Nawalgarh, Mandawa, Mahansar, Mukundgarh, Lachhmangarh, Singhana, Parasrampura, Khetri, Baggar and Jhunjunu.

Related Links:

01. Indian Art and Craft : The Living Age - 1
02. Indian Art and Craft : The painting history of India - 2
03. Indian Art and Craft : India the home of Painting - 3
04. Indian Art and Craft : Ajanta Paintings - 4
05. Indian Art and Craft : Floor Designs and Madhubani Paintings - 5
06. Indian Art and Craft : Art of body painting - 6