Fabulous gifts presented to the future King Edward VII during his grand tour of India in the 1870s will be the star attractions of a new exhibition.
A pair of ornate fly swatters studded with jewels, a lavish ceremonial dagger and an exquisite gold enamelled and diamond ink stand in the form of a state barge, are some of the presents Maharajas gave to Queen Victoria's eldest son, then the Prince of Wales.
The artefacts from the Royal Collection will be part of the exhibition Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875-76 that will travel across the UK next year.
The exhibition tells the story of Edward's tour through watercolours, photographs and 74 works of art that were given to him during the traditional exchange of gifts ceremony staged when he first arrived at a new destination.
With an entourage said to have numbered around 50, the prince set off on his four-month trip in October 1875 and landed first in Mumbai - then Bombay - going on to visit more than 20 destinations now found in modern-day India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal.
During his extensive trip he was entertained by the colonial elite, met Indian royalty, took part in animal hunts, bestowed honours on dignitaries and went on sightseeing trips and expeditions.
He travelling nearly 7,600 miles by land and 2,300 miles by sea and met more than 90 rulers of the different regions he visited as he sought to establish personal links with the local rulers and strengthen ties between the subcontinent and the British Crown.
The ornamented dagger with scabbard was a gift from Jashwant Singh, Maharaja of Bharatpur, while an emerald and diamond sirpech - or turban ornament - was presented by Sajjan Singh, Maharaja of Udaipur and the fly swatters were from Ram Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur.
The fabulously decorated miniature state barge was a present from Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh, Maharaja of Benares.
Edward recognised the cultural value and artistic merit of the gifts he received and when he returned to Britain he arranged for the items to go on public display, first in London and then later in Paris and at museums across the UK.
The exhibition will begin next year at the Cartwright Hall, Bradford, from March 11-June 18, and travel to the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester from July 8-October 29, before being staged at the Queen's Galleries in Edinburgh and London in 2018.
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