A Journey into the time of MAHARAJAS

A Journey into the time of
MAHARAJAS

The photographs in this exhibition are an evocation of princely India and a historical record of an age we will never again experience. Each portrait reflects an unmistakeable aura of majesty, effortlessly carried and eloquently captured. Vacheron Constantin, who have supported this exhibition have a lot in common with the rich heritage that the show portrays. For over 250 years Vacheron Constantin has been blending history with innovation and because of these inherent qualities, Vacheron Constantin became one of the preferred suppliers of haute horology and high jewellery timepieces to the Maharajas in the 19th century. Vacheron Constantin can first trace their ties to the Indian market through an order made by J.G. Hanhart from Kolkata in 1849. In the following years, many more fine watches were ordered by Maharajas, such as those owned by H.H. Maharaja Sahib Bahadur, H.H. the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, H.H. Maharaja Rana Bahadur of Dholpur and H.H. the Maharaja of Patiala.

The photographic portrait is never truly opaque and behind the façade of splendid dress and gleaming jewels, we glimpse a rare human side to the sitters. As the historian E. Jaiwant Paul noted, ‘The princes of India were undoubtedly one of the great anachronisms of the twentieth century. Among them were enlightened rulers and profligate princes, saints and scoundrels, heroes, charmers and eccentrics’. The Maharajas in these photographs, whose lineage can be traced back for centuries, mark the end of an epoch in India’s history of ruling principalities. Besides the fabulous palaces, extraordinary jewels and inspired legends that these individuals left behind, we have their photographs, some of which are on display here.