Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj

DETAILS : 

• Author : Vidya Dehejia
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mapin Publishing
  
• Publication Date : 1 January 2008
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8189995197
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8189995195
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎1700 g 

ABOUT THE BOOK 

Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj is a richly illustrated volume that explores the exquisite silverware crafted by Indian silversmiths for British residents and visitors during the Raj (1858–1947). The book highlights how traditional craftsmen adapted European forms—such as tea services, wine ewers, and goblets—and embellished them with intricate, recognizably Indian motifs and regional patterns. Through five scholarly essays and over 150 visual examples, it examines distinct regional styles from areas like Kutch, Madras, and Calcutta. It serves as a definitive study of "Raj Silver," a unique cultural hybrid that represents an amalgam of colonial demand and indigenous artistic skill. The work provides a vital record of a decorative art form once dismissed by scholars but now celebrated for its dazzling quality and historical significance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Vidya Dehejia is the Barbara Stoler Miller Professor Emerita of Indian and South Asian Art at Columbia University and one of the world's leading authorities on Indian art history. A graduate of Cambridge University, her distinguished career has bridged the gap between academia and curatorial work, with research spanning Buddhist caves, Chola bronzes, and colonial photography. In 2012, she was honored with the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian awards, for her exceptional contributions to art and education. Her writing is known for its clarity and depth, often translating ancient Sanskrit and Tamil texts to illuminate the spiritual and cultural milieu of the objects she studies. She has authored over 25 books, including the landmark work The Body Adorned: Dissolving Boundaries between Sacred and Profane in India's Art.