Legion of Honor, San Francisco
3 November 2018 - 24 February 2019
East Meets West: Jewels of the Maharajas from The Al Thani Collection
This exhibition explores the cultural and material exchanges between India and Europe through jewelry and precious objects ranging from the seventeenth century to the present. It features more than 150 pieces from The Al Thani Collection, all associated with Mughal emperors, maharajas, and their courts. Highlights include famous gemstones such as the Idol’s Eye (a 70.2-carat diamond and the largest blue diamond in the world), the Arcot II diamond (formerly belonging to the British Crown Jewels) and other treasures such as a jade dagger owned by Emperor Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal. The curators of the exhibition are Martin Chapman, Curator in Charge of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Amin Jaffer, Senior Curator of the Al Thani Collection.