Nawab Turab Ali Khan, popularly known as Salar Jung I, was the ‘Diwan’ (Prime Minister) of the Hyderabad State. He and his descendants (Laiq Ali Khan – Salarjung II and Mir Yousuf Ali Khan – Salarjung III) were avid collectors of artifacts. This collection, most of which was collected by Salarjung III, is reputed to be the largest private collection in the world.
The collection is kept in a series of galleries that are numbered. A free guide service is available at fixed hours. As I had descended at an odd hour, and since I wanted to spend an entire day here, I preferred to go to the sales counter to buy a guide. On the way I saw a good cafeteria and decided that I would go there at frequent intervals. I think that there are around 35 or 38 galleries in all.
The first gallery that I ventured into was the ‘founders’ gallery’. It has portraits and other personal belongings of the family – the gifts received by the family, the wine cups, costumes, silver bowls, etc. Though I have a great respect for the Salarjung family for their contribution in promoting art and artists, this gallery failed to impress me.
Indian Bronze and Painted Textiles: This gallery has very old figures of bronze dating back to the 12th century AD. The famous figure of Lord Shiva as Nataraja is also there. The famous ‘Kalamkari’ art (painting on clothes), for which ‘Andhra Pradesh’ is well known, is also on display. The colors used are natural dyes. The scenes are from the great epics ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’. The number of faces, each with a different expression as per his role in mythology, along with the plethora of colors detailing the costumes and the background, is mind-boggling and speaks a lot of the patience and the dexterity of the artist.
Minor Arts of South India: This gallery has figures made of finely carved wood. Most of the artifacts seem to be sourced from the southern parts of the country. I particularly like the wooden screens, sofa sets and chairs.
Ivory Carving: The ‘Nawab’ must have been a lover of ivory. Each and every piece here is of exquisite quality. I could not keep my mouth closed when I saw the famous mat made from ivory threads. Anyone who has ever touched ivory would know how much skill is required to make a single thread by hand, and this mat has thousands of them. Each and every item in this collection is a masterpiece whether it is a figure, chess set, a table lamp, or a carved paper cutter. I think that if I could buy a single item from this collection, I would have to part with most of what I have earned so far in life.
The ‘Nawab,’ as is quite normal, has a great collection of arms and armory. The collection is huge, but could not generate interest in me. The same was true for the metalware gallery – dominated by ‘Bidri’ work. I was eager to go to the ‘miniature paintings’ section and was delighted to see it. I must add here that my native place, ‘Kangra’, is quite known for miniature paintings. The collection here is quite delightful. There are miniatures on leaves from the 14th century AD. Paintings from the ‘Mughal’ school left me spellbound – lots of colors , details, flora, fauna, wildlife, kings, lovers, ladies. The painting showing the elephant fight shows the expressions of the animal in vivid details. There are a lot of paintings from the ‘Rajasthan School’. The life of God ‘Krishna’, episodes from the epic ‘Ramayana’, etc., are there. The paintings from ‘Kangra’ take the cake. This is the only section where you find the details of the sub-schools, which shows how much the ‘Nawab’ was enlightened and impressed by the paintings of ‘Kangra School’. The subjects here are court scenes, celebrations of festivals, palaces, etc. The painters in all the schools have spent a lot of time on small details. In the night, as we go on looking towards the sky, the number of stars keeps on increasing; similarly, here also, if you go on studying the painting, the hidden details keep on coming out. It looks as though the painter knows each and every person, animal, and tree to the core and has taken efforts from his heart to tell the audience about them.
The next section was on modern paintings, but I was so overwhelmed from the ecstasy of expressions that I decided to have a small break in the cafeteria. As it was late afternoon by now, during the break, I decided to go through the remaining galleries fast and mark the galleries and items of interest and then go back to them again. Later, I realized that this was one big mistake that I did, because it took away the surprise element to a certain extent, and in most of the cases, the galleries that seemed lackluster on the first visit looked grand on a second look. Going fast was tiring too. After an hour spent in confusion, I decided to continue in the same manner as in the morning.
Modern Paintings: this section has two paintings from Raja Ravi Verma, namely the ‘Kerala Beauty’ and the ‘Stolen Interview’. The second named painting just moved all the parts of my body - my knees went weak, such is the effect it had on me. I also liked the works of Nandlal Bose (especially ‘Villagers around fire’ and the painting of lady and the deer by Abdur Rehman Chugtai).
I wanted to go to the jade carving, old manuscripts, Egyptian art, and Syrian art sections again, but could not do so, even though these sections are considered to be the highest in value. Carpets have been my favorite subject, and I have spent some time in different markets scouting for a bargain. The collection here primarily has famous Persian carpets. The weaving is intricate, and the carpets are decked with ornamental patterns, floral motifs, and creepers at the borders. The carpets used for prayers (small in size) have exquisite patterns. Somehow, the colors looked dull to me as compared to the carpets from Kashmir, but I really do not know the reason why. One likely reason could be that the carpets might have got worn out owing to usage. The Chinese section has beautiful porcelain items, figures of Lord Buddha, and embroidered silk. The Japanese section has very good furniture, watercolor paintings, lacquer work, ivory, and embroidered silks.
The section on European art is so good that it is housed in a separate section, which looks modern as compared to other parts of the building. The watercolor paintings and the oil paintings are from Britain, France, and Italy. The clarity of colors, smoothness of finish, dramatic expressions, and effect of light and shade results in their becoming masterpieces. On display is the European porcelain and glass too, but after seeing the works of painters like Muller, Bouguerea, Charddin, Aldine, Canaletto, Hayez, Cooper, and Schmalz, the heart does not want to see anything else, or rather, everything else looks so ordinary. I just kept on walking in a trance, wondering how the Nawab Salarung could have appreciated or digested the intricacies of such wide variations. After some time, I was in front of the famous ‘Veiled Rebecca’. This work should be seen by everyone. I wonder whether anyone else in the world would ever be able to capture the feminine charm in the way Benzoni has done. The transparent veil covering her face – I don’t know how it could be made - each and every detail, including the crevices of the dress, has been sculpted to perfection. There are very many fine sculptures around, but after seeing the masterpiece, the eyes start finding the missing details.
The museum has a children’s section too, but I could not go there because of lack of time. I did see the famous musical bell, though. It has got a mechanical device by which a toy figure comes out every hour, strikes the gong, and goes back. The clock is placed in a courtyard and there is a big crowd around. The collective excitement makes the event unforgettable. It just occurred to me that in an emotional country like India, there could be a small riot if by chance the mechanical device fails and the toy soldier is not able to strike the gong. Hats off to the craftsmen who have made such flawless beauties and also to the rich kings who have promoted them.