A Golden Treasury: Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent

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The Indian fascination with gold has a history stretching back to the Indus Valley civilisation and can sometimes assume almost mystic proportions; despite this, surprisingly little has been written about it. This book examines a wide range of gold ornaments dating from the second century BC to the present day, and includes coins as well as objets d'art. It also discusses the various historical and stylistic influences on gold-crafting and the many techniques that made it such a sophisticated art in the Indian subcontinent. All the pieces, many of which have never been exhibited before, are illustrated in colour.

Dr James Harle provides the introductory essay and catalogue entries on early Indian gold, Susan Stronge the section on jewellery of the Mughal period and Dr Nima Smith writes on twentieth-century jewellery and Indian attitudes to gold.

The objects are drawn from the collections of Her Majesty the Queen, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean Museums, and a number of private collections.

Susan Stronge has been a Research Assistant at the Victoria and Albert Museum since 1979. She specialises in the arts of the Mughal period; her published work includes a book on bidri ware and articles on jewellery and weapons.

Dr Nima Smith studied English Literature at the Universities of Karnataka and Mysore in India. Her Ph.D thesis was on Commonwealth literature, and she has published articles and reviews on this subject. She has been Assistant Keeper of Ethnic Collections at Cartwright Hall, Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, since November 1985 and has written and organised a number of exhibitions on non- British art and crafts.

Dr James Harle, M.A., D. PHIL., recently retired as Keeper of Eastern Art at the Ashmolean Museum. During his long and distinguished career he has specialised in the study of Indian sculpture; his most recent books are The Art and Architecture of the Indian Sub- continent and Indian Art in the Ashmolean Museum.

**Contents and Sample Pages**