“The Pearl Canopy
of
Indian & Southeast Asian Works of Art
Sotheby's
New York
10 A.M., March 24, 2011
Lot 105, The Pearl Canopy of Baroda, Gugarat, India, pearls, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, gold, 3 feet 11 inches in diameter, circa 1865-1870, and exhibited at “Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s
Royal
Courts,” at The
Copyright Michele Leight 2011
By Michele Leight
Lot
105, “The Pearl Canopy of
Those that saw the fabulous show in 2009-2010 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, London, will recognize “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda” from the highly acclaimed exhibition “Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts,” where it dazzled thousands of viewers from across the globe. Originally commissioned by the Maharaja of Baroda, Khande Rao Gaekwad, in 1865, (who reigned from 1856-70), “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda” and the equally famous “Pearl Carpet of Baroda,” are the only two surviving pieces of an original ensemble of five.
The
Sotheby's catalogue for this lot notes that “The
city of
“Bling” was serious for reasons that are not immediately obvious to viewers of courtly jewelry today, and no maharaja would even think to be seen in public without it. He would in fact be abdicating his responsibilities to his subjects if he had decided not to wear it. Although it is hard to imagine today, a Maharaja’s subjects viewed him as an earthly deity, their protector, and a good Maharaja had to live up to their expectations. He could not appear before them dressed ordinarily! In addition, he was required to wear specific objects and surround himself with paraphernalia (laid down in ancient Sanskrit texts).
The sumptuous catalogue that accompanied the exhibition “Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts,” (Anna Jackson and Amin Jaffer, V & A Publishing, 2009) includes a chapter entitled “The Power of Public Splendor” (by Joanne Punzo Waghorne) that references the requirements - and their significance - of the maharaja's regalia described meticulously in Jan Gonda’s book, “Ancient Indian Kingship from a Religious Point of View” (Leiden, 1969):
“The
maharaja, seated in state, appears to his people samalamkara,
‘fully
ornamented’ or more literally, ‘fully enabled.’ Appearing publicly, samalamkara,
remained a fundamental duty of the king to ensure in some way the
health and
well-being of his subjects and his realm. In this context the lavish
ornamentation of the maharajas of
By the time the young maharaja who commissioned this artwork ascended the throne, the sun had set on the famous Mughal Empire that had reached its peak in the reign of Emperor Shah Jehan, who built one of the most famous buildings in the world – the Taj Mahal - as a tomb in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The emperor and his empress are buried beside each other in tombs in the Taj Mahal today. It is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Constructing the Taj Mahal almost bankrupted him.
Emperors and maharajas opened their purses – or rather their caskets over-flowing with gemstones and gold - when it came to mausoleums and tombs for themselves and their families. In commissioning the “Pearl Carpet of Baroda ” as a gift for the most beloved prophet of Islam - of which “The Pearl Canopy” is an integral part - the Hindu maharaja Khande Rao was equally lavish. Fortuitously, the catalogue entry for the lot notes, he also had access to “some of the most talented artists who had previously worked for the Mughal court.”
It was also fortunate for those visionary artists, and for us, the entry added that “the new Maharaja was known for his love of display and magnificence, and generous patronage of the arts and architecture. He had a special fondness for jewels and acquired some of the most magnificent gemstones known to the world, such as the 128- carat 'Star of the South' diamond.”
In
March 2009, “The Pearl Carpet of Baroda” sold at Sotheby’s
What is wonderful about
both works of art is that although
they “go” together and share the same “ingredients” – if one can call
diamonds
and pearls ingredients – and the design and motifs are not
repetitious. They borrow
from each other freely, but are not “carbon copies” of the other, a
testimony
to the originality of these one-of-a-kind works of art that were
executed by
some of the finest artisans and artists that have ever lived. Because
they are
not “matched sets” it also makes them so much fun to explore!
Detail of the canopy
The
magical properties inherent in artifacts like “The Pearl Canopy of
Baroda” and
“The Pearl Carpet of Baroda” have fired the imagination for centuries,
inspiring
famous poems, scintillating stories – about magical flying carpets -
and films.
They have also influenced successive generations of Southeast Asian and
international artists, who see past their obvious “bling,”
to their
deeper meaning and significance.
Jewel encrusted surfaces evoke exquisite works of devotion that have been created since the beginning of time in all religions and cultures. Jeweled and embroidered vestments, altar covers, drinking vessels, and notably the sumptuous covers of holy books of all faiths are lavished with precious materials and exquisite workmanship. Their objective was to inspire awe.
The catalogue states that there are "approximately 950,000 pearls and beads" in the canopy and that in its estimation "the number of pearls employed in the design is therefore at least 500,000 to 650,000," adding that "the rosettes are circled by small natural 'Basra' pearls of slightly larger size, measuring approximately 3-4 mm." It added that the motifs are further enhanced with approximately 700 foil backed rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold."
The canopy is three feet 11 inches in diameter.
When fine artists or craft-persons of this caliber are let loose to indulge their vision - and money is no object - the creative sky is the limit. The “abstract-ness” of seemingly decorative objects like The Baroda Carpet and Canopy subverts their practical purpose and has enormous appeal. Devoid of human or story-telling imagery, depictions of flowers, and gorgeous abstract geometric motifs resonate universally across all cultures.
Taj Mahal, photograph by Michele Leight
This
“abstract” and floral imagery is visible in every nook and cranny of
the Taj
Mahal, arguably the pinnacle of Islamic art and architecture. Emperor
Shah
Jehan desired a tomb for his beloved that everyone would love and
admire, not
just people of a particular faith, nation or background. Maharaja
Gaekward of
Sotheby’s
catalogue
“The suite was comprised
of four rectangular carpets, one being the aforementioned sold ‘Pearl
Carpet,’
and one circular, the lot offered here. This masterpiece was reputedly
intended
by the Maharaja as a gift to the tomb of the prophet Mohammed at
However, life is not always smooth sailing - even for a powerful Maharaja:
This
was especially cruel, given that Maharaja Khande Rao
Gaekwad was so passionate about jewels. The “Star of the South,”
diamond, the
Pearl Carpet and the Pearl Canopy “remained in the Gaekwad family
collection,
and were among the valued pieces in her personal collection which
Maharani Sita
Devi, wife of the then Maharaja, Pratapsingh Rao Gaekwad, brought with
her when
she moved to Monaco in 1946,” the catalogue noted.
There is a moving photograph, circa 1948, by Henri Cartier Bresson in the catalogue of the beautiful Maharani wearing the fabled diamond. It also has a wonderful old sepia map of India and illustrations from the period, including a mid-19th century painting depicting “Khande Rao Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda, India,” 1956-70, from the Granger Collection, New York, in which he is wearing a fantastic diamond necklace, flanked by elegantly turbaned attendants holding ornate flywhisks.
A work of art like this is rarely seen today, except at exhibitions – perhaps twice in a lifetime – and if one is lucky, at elite auction houses before they disappear into private collections.
Elegantly displayed in Sotheby’s galleries, and illustrated here, “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda” resembled an extra-terrestrial flying object – a magic carpet - that had landed momentarily in our world before speeding off again into the cosmos, to compete with the stars. Imagine the spectacle if a Maharaja was seated beneath it wearing diamonds, rubies and emeralds the size of dove’s eggs, his neck festooned with fabulous Basra pearls, his turban decorated with a gem encrusted sarpech of unimaginable beauty. Even we might think he had dropped straight from heaven.
How “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda was to be “deployed” is a matter of speculation, although it is believed there were four poles attached to it. In those days it was customary to send a magnificent gift in a “procession” and in some cases the maharaja would accompany the gift, trailing elephants, camels and hundreds of courtiers and attendants. With a maharaja to protect and many fine jewels and valuables in tow, soldiers and guards had to accompany the procession. It was a spectacle, the likes of which we shall likely never see again, but we get a hint of it from “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda.”
We
will never know how the maharaja intended to transport
his precious gift to the tomb of the Prophet whose religion he admired
because
he died before his gift could be sent to
“'The Pearl Canopy of Baroda’ is an exemplar of the Indian love of these pearls, its scintillating surface composed of countless ‘Basra Pearls. To execute such a unique and precious object Khande Rao chose the best raw materials to match the unparalleled craftsmanship of artists he commissioned to execute this extraordinary work of art. Completely covering the surface with the most valued type of pearls, a meticulous work that took years to complete, clearly indicates that the Maharaja of Baroda only accepted the very best in design, craftsmanship and material," according to the catalogue.
Perhaps someone will wave a magic wand so that “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda” also finds a home in a museum. Then we can take our children to see it, so they can imagine riding on magic carpets, and learn that people of different faiths can be respectful of each other.
Mary-Jo Otsea, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head, Carpets - offered valuable insights on this important work of art and said it would be wonderful if “The Pearl Carpet of Baroda” and “The Pearl Canopy of Baroda” were to be re-united some day.
In a perfect world, that would be possible.
(See The City Review article, “Treasury of the World: Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals.”)