Memorials of the Jeypore Exhibition 1883 : Vol. I: Industrial Art

Contents: Autotype Portrait of H.H. Maharaja Siwai Madho Singh, of Jeypore. Design for book-binding, by an artist in the employ of H.H. the Maharaja of Ulwar. The designs for all the title-pages, the page borders and the covers of the four volumes are by the same hand.  Introduction.  Industrial Art at the Jeypore Exhibition. Chromo-Lithographs. I. 1. Crutch and part of staff of Maharaja Man Singh, of Jeypore. 2. Ornamentation of the staff in detail. Jeypore. II. Designs for modern Jeypore enamel. Jeypore. III. Handle ad mounts of a sword, in damascened steel and gold enamel, Ulwar. IV. Curved sword and scabbard. Ulwar. V. Knife. VI. Mounts in silver enamel of a dagger or knife. VII. Three different views of a gold-enamelled Persian dagger. Jhallawar. VIII. Waterbottle, Silver parcel-gilt enamel . Behawalpur. IX. Scabbard of a hunting sword (Plate X). Gilt brass and niello. Jeypore. X. Hunting Sword, steel with outlines of figures in gold. Jeypore. XI. Four daggers with jade handles. Jeypore. XII. Padded coat and steel breastplates. Tonk. XIII. Damascened steel breastplates. Jeypore. XIV. State robe of the founder of Jeypore. Jeypore. XV. Powder flask, buffalo horn and ivory. Jeypore. XVI. Powder flask, buffalo horn, ivory, and mother-o-pearl. Etawah, near Kotah. XVII. Silver inkstand. Jeypore. XVIII. Silver Plate. XIX. The two sides of papier mache vase. Kashmir. XX. Bedstead legs, lacquered wood. XXI. Carvings in white marble. Jeypore. XXII. Carved wood panels. Ahmedabad. XXIII. Marble niche and painted marble figure of Hanuman. Jeypore. XXIV. Brass box. Made at Poona. XXV. Engraved brass tray. Old Moghul period. XXVI. Silver parcel-gilt jug. Kashmir. XXVII. Outlines of ornament on a silver service belonging to Surgeon-Major Hendley. Ulwar. XXVIII. Two vases of semi-translucent pottery. School of Art, Jeypore. XXIX. Copy of a rug belonging to Surgeon-Major Hendley. Ajmere. XXX. Outlines of Kashmir papier mache work. XXXI. Outlines of Kashmir papier mache work. XXXII to XXXIX. Facsimiles of Old Persian paintings. Selected on account of the great variety and beauty of the border patterns.

The Jeypore Exhibition of 1883 was regarded as among the most important industrial exhibitions of 19th century, where specimen of the best artwork of India was curated. Credited to the arduous efforts of Thomas Holbein Hendley, a British officer in the princely state of Jaipur, the Exhibition was primarily an attempt to showcase local skills.

A permanent ‘memorial’ of the Exhibition was produced as a four-part set of illustrated volumes, authored by Hendley and commissioned by the visionary Maharaja of Jaipur. The first volume contained a number of chromolithographs and a general description of the plates in the first three books of the set. The second and third volumes contained 100 photographs of Indian art work, while Volume IV also included reproductions in platinum of the illustrations of Emperor Akbar’s own copy of the Razmnama, the Persian epic. Published by W.H. Griggs, some sets were presented to leading museums of the world, and very few copies were sold.

This facsimile edition of a rare copy of Volume I, preserved at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur is now published to recreate those splendours documented by Hendley, for modern-day scholars and connoisseurs.