René Lalique (1860-1945) was a French designer, who was best known for his glasswork. His career started in 1885 as a jewellery maker, but from 1911 he predominantly focused on glasswork.

Created in 1927 (and still in production today), the Bacchantes vase is one of Lalique’s most famous works. It is a symbol of his style that is heavily inspired by the natural world, often included women figures and geometric lines, all typical of the Art Deco movement. The iconic design, decorated in relievo features the young priestesses of Bacchus with their voluptuous beauty and curves. This

vase caused a real sensation at the time with its depiction of neoclassical nude priestesses. The numerous female shapes are shown from a variety of different angles, which gives the observer the impression that they are dancing around the Lalique crystal-glass vase.

The bacchantes, or maenads, were girls who were present at Bacchanalian revels. They took part in the frenzied worship of Bacchus (Greek: Dionysus), the god of wine and intoxication.

Since its original release, it has been a staple in the Lalique collection and has become a lasting symbol of Lalique’s celebrated style and has featured in the catalogue from its origins in 1927 to the present day.

Florentine marquetry, is a decorative inlay technique in which stone pieces of varying sizes and shapes are cut into form the desired design. And since they’re so finely assembled, the joints appear virtually invisible. The colour and the gradations of stones are cut finely in order to achieve a representation as close as possible to that of a painting – giving it the name ‘painting in stone’.

In 1588, the influential Medici family established a workshop dedicated to stone pieces of art made via the Florentine marquetry technique. Mosaicists at this Florentine marquetry workshop produced the grandiose works that you can still see inside the Medici Chapels, for example. These master artisans also crafted furniture, reproductions of famous paintings, and gifts for European leaders. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Florence became the exclusive hub for the production of art objects made via the stone marquetry technique.

This beautiful dark brown polished rectangular desk has a top consisting of black marble with Florentine mosaic inlay work. Speciality of this table are the miniature medallion portraits of Maharaja Sayjirao Gaekwad III’s wife Maharani Chimnabai II and his son Maharajkumar Fatesinhrao. Small, but meticulously crafted portraits are set within the floral wreath. The corners are decorated with beautiful bird and flowering plants. While depiction of flora and fauna is common, it is unusual to find portraits made during this period, which makes this table a rare and exceptional one. The portraits resemble the miniature ivory portraits produced in this era. The panels on the frieze around are also decorated with shells and foliage.

Florence still has a sizable amount of artisans and craftspeople, including several master mosaicists like Pitti Mosaici is one of the few remaining family businesses in Florence who are masters of the Pietra Dura inlay.

Shantanu and Matsyagandha depicts the scene of King Shantanu meeting the fisherwoman Matsyagandha by the riverside, from the epic Mahabharata. This painting is part of the famed fourteen mythological paintings commissioned by Maharaja Sayajirao III.

Shantanu, already grown old, falls in love with Satyavati, the adopted daughter of a fisherman. The latter had found her and her brother in the belly of a fish, wherefore she always smelt of fish and was called matsyagandha. But the sage Parashara married her, turned the repungnant smell into an alluring perfume, and then disappeared. Satyavati again became a virgin, meets Shantanu who is captivated by her fragrance and beauty, proposes to marry her. She marries Santanu on her father’s condition that their children inherit the throne, denying the birth right of Shantanu’s eldest son (and crown prince) Bhishma.

Her sons by Shantanu, Chitrangada who was slain in battle, and Vichitravirya had died childless, his widows conceived three children, Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, some of the principal heroes of the Mahabharata.

Ravi Varma portrays Shantanu, dressed in royal and regal attire smitten with the charms of Matsyagandha, who is attired like a fisherwoman, clutching an oar in her arm. This painting speaks volumes of the love that crossed the boundaries of the varna system of social hierarchy. Shantanu from the Kshatriya clan marrying Matsyagandha from Shudra (untouchable) community is an instance of symbolic importance. Interestingly, Ravi Varma painted another version of this theme for oleograph, in which Matsyagandha is depicted as a dark skinned lady, a more populist and clichéd representation.

This statue was previously located at the central hall of Nyay Mandir, Vadodara. Owing to the inaccessibility, this sculptural marvel was hidden from the public view and its beauty was lost in the court activities. With the Court being shifted to another location, the premises was being unused and the statue deserved a suitable place where it would be well preserved, displayed and admired.

Maharaja Sayajirao III married Lakshmibai Mohite of Tanjore in 1880. She was called Maharani Chimnabai and they had two daughters and a son. Both of their daughters; Princess Bajubai and Princess Putlabai died at an early age. She died in 1885, due to tuberculosis, after the death of her second daughter, leaving behind her son Prince Fatesinhrao. Maharani Chimnabai was a trained in Veena and was a connoisseur of dance. She brought a Sadir Attam (now known as Bharatanatyam) dance troupe as her dowry to Baroda. She is remembered for the patronage for Bharatanatyam in Baroda. The Gaekwad Royal Palace is named Lukshmi Vilas Palace after her maiden name Lakshmi.

A grand sculpture of Maharani was commissioned by Maharaja Sayajirao III and was assigned to Italian master sculptor Augusto Felici who was brought to the Gaekwad court by Maharaja Sayajirao III all the way from Venice in Italy. Felici did not disappoint the Maharaja. He created the stupendous life size sculpture in Italian marble. Maharani Chimnabai I is seated on a throne leaning to her right, poignantly gazing downwards while slightly resting her chin on her right hand.  Her left hand is placed on the book beside her. The details of the saree, ornaments and throne are classically rendered. This is inarguably the best creation of Felici and one of the finest portraits of the Indian Maharanis. One can see how the sculptor has brought to life the ‘mild, charitable, amiable woman, the devoted mother and loving wife’ – as the Maharaja fondly remembered her.

The statue of Maharani Chimnabai is the only sculpture in her memory and is now proudly placed in the Central Hall of the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum surrounded by the portraits of the Gaekwad lineage.

An outdoor mosaic (approximately 15 feet high and 12 feet wide) features an Indian bridal scene with Christian overtones, including an angel. This mural is also interpreted to be the scene of Ram and Sita’s reunion by some scholars, because of the depiction of holy fire and a monkey. Lukshmi Vilas Palace is the only place in South Asia to find Murano mosaic mural.

Set within the Mughal style arched niche, the mural shows a bride and a groom seated on a throne. The groom, embracing the bride is taking the garland presented by the winged angel above them who has blessed them by showering flowers. A female attendant stands beside the bride fanning her, while a male attendant holding a spear stands beside the groom. All are seen on a stepped platform in an exterior with trees and mountains, and in the presence of the holy fire. The entire scene is watched a pair of langoor. All executed with gold Smalti background. This mural is also assumed to be the scene of Gandharva Vivah (a marriage tradition from the Indian subcontinent was based on consensual acceptance between two people).

The most interesting aspect is the portrayal of the bride with a halo which suggests her divineness – perhaps she is Sita! The mural astonishes with its meticulous ethnic details of the costume and jewellery from Western India.

This mural was created by twelve Italian craftsman who were employed for eighteen months to decorate the Lukshmi Vilas Palace floors and walls. The Mosaicists were from the Famed Venice and Murano Glass And Mosaic Company set up by Antonio Salviati (1816-90) in order to restore the mosaics of San Marco in Venice.

A doll of brown coloured Kumbhakarna with large flared ears dressed in white dhoti sleeping on a square green and red mattress, head resting on oval green cushion with his eyes and mouth open. He is the brother of Ravan, and is known for his gigantic size and appetite. His sleep lasted for six months and, in fact the drum kept on his chest is to waking him up.

Purchased by Maharaja Sayajirao III during his visit to Sawantwadi. India has inherited a rich tale of toys, to teach children not only lessons of mathematics and science, but toys also narrating stories from mythology of gods and goddesses. While history of toys in India begins right from Indus-valley civilization, but today the craft of toy making seems to have been replaced by digital cartoons and animation. The collection of Wooden Lacquered Toys, made traditionally in Sawantwadi, a serene village in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra. The dying craft was revived by the Royal Family of Sawantwadi, they engaged one of the few remaining master painters to train young artist.

The decorative toys are made in vivid colours and unmistakeable designs. The toys craft is mostly practised by the Chitari families. Mango, Pangra, Jack fruit wood is used for making the toys.

 These toys have been an integral part of our Ganesh Chaturti Decoration every year. The toys in the Gaekwad collection consist of figurines that narrates story of Ramayan. The mythical characters come to life with the carefully crafted details, made from a single piece of wood.