Exhibitions And Publications

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.

Kings of the World: Expressions of Royal Power and the Arts: Masterpieces From The Al Thani Collection

Featuring approximately 60 objects from the collection, this exhibition used ancient sculpture, works of art, metalwork, coins, miniature paintings, weapons and jewellery to explore the image of the king and that of royal power throughout the ages and civilisations, from Sumerian royalty (around 2000 BC) to 19th-century European monarchies, via Pharaonic Egypt, the ancient Near East, Ottoman sultans and Mughal emperors. The exhibition was curated by Vincent Droguet, General Curator, Director of Heritage and Collections at the Château de Fontainebleau.

Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas: The Al Thani Collection

The exhibition presents a rare journey into the world of Indian jewellery, characterised by dazzling gems and jewels dating from the time of the Mughal Empire to the present day.Promoted by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and presented against a stunning and ethereal backdrop,Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas gives the Italian public the first-ever opportunity to admire 275 pieces assembled from The Al Thani Collection.

Jewels of the Mughal Emperors and Maharajas: Treasures from The Al Thani Collection

The exhibition featured more than 175 pieces including the world’s largest cut blue diamond, the Idol’s Eye, and other select Indian jewels from The Al Thani Collection. It explored the history and design of Indian gems from the 16th to 21st century. In addition to masterpieces exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (2014-15) and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (2015-16), some Indian treasures from the Collection were shown in Japan for the first time.

Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al Thani Collection

Some sixty jewelled objects from the private collection formed by Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani provided a glimpse into the evolving styles of the jewelled arts in India from the Mughal period until the early 20th century, with emphasis on later exchanges with the West. The exhibition was shown within the Metropolitan Museum’s Islamic art galleries, adjacent to the Museum’s own collection of Mughal-period art.