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Museums of Rajasthan

Central Museum (Albert Hall), Jaipur

Situated in the midst of Ramnivas Gardens, it is an imposing stone structure executed in the Indo-Persian style of architecture. Called Albert Hall in honour of the Prince of Wales who laid the foundation stone in 1876, the museum was conceived as a repository of the various industrial arts practised by the artisans of the erstwhile Jaipur state. An exhibition held in 1883 formed the nucleus of the collection. Four years later the museum was officially declared open. Most of the artefacts date to the time of Lt. Col. T H Handley under whose guidance the objects were manufactured at Jaipur's School of Art.

The museum has a wide range of metal objects used for domestic purposes like lotas, cooking pots, lamps, spice containers, paandons, inkstands, sal1 bells. The brass vessels on view display various craft techniques like repousse, chasing, piercing,, hammering and engraving, while the weapons demon strate two techniques of damascening which flourished at Bundi, Alwar and Udaipur. In tahinishan, gold wires are inserted into deep channels engraved metal. In feoft, on the other hand, gold wires or gold leaf are fixed to groove: on the base metal by filing and polishing. Among the other objectson view are a large collection of miniatures from the Bundi, Lota, Kshangarh, Udaipur and Jaipur schools of paintings; ceremonial robes worn by kings and queens and samples of wood block printing in the textile section. However, the most outstanding object is the Persian Garden carpet, acquired in 1632 from Persia by SawaiJai Singh I. The intricate woven patterns on this carpet illustrate the exotic palace garden of Shah Abbas of Persia.

Central Museum, Albert Hall Ramnivas Gardens
Jaipur 302 004

Timing: 10.30 am to 4.30 pm
Closed on Fridays.