Posted on: 13 September 2010

Digital Book :
Indian Art at Delhi 1903.
Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition 1902-1903.
By George Watt, Director
Published by The Superintendent of Government Printing India, Madras.


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Read Book Online : http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924010093056#page/n5/mode/2up

Download pdf Book : http://ia311018.us.archive.org/1/items/cu31924010093056/cu31924010093056.pdf

This is such an extraordinary catalogue. Truly miss these meticulous details !

awesomeness

i wish there is a centenary reprint

Another interesting detail. The preface carries a list of rajahs who donated for the awards along with the amounts donated the total being Rs 5900. The medals and cost are listed as follows: Medal Nos. Cost Amount (Calclated by me) Commendations 110 10 1100 Bronze 115 20 2300 Silver 83 30 2490 Gold 19 ? ? ______ ______ Total 327 5900 Question 1. Who paid for the gold medals and what was the cost of each medal? (This is not mentioned in the preface). Question 2. Who paid for the cost of organising the fair and publishing a 770 page book?

The organisers of the exhibition were concerned that the awards may not reach the artisan who actually made an artifact. They were not sure that the owners of the stalls would pass on the same. They therefore decided to give certificates and medals with names of artisans written on them.

Shekar : As always your observations are very perceptive...but I was actually delighted to see Indian art and handicrafts being presented in such a meticulous fashion. There is a certain dignity and charm in this presentation. Have not come across one such book post-independence....and I will not even expect an account of expenses. The Common Wealth Games in Delhi have taught us a thing or two about accounting isnt it.

@RBSI. :) I was just curious! I really admire those guys who made it happen and am not "demanding" any account. I wonder how much it would have cost then to produce a book with so many plates and so much text running into over 750 pages with all the scholarships. Maybe some of the answers are contained in the book itself. Assuming the gold medal was costing 40 Rupees, that would have amounted to Rs 3330 in excess of 43% of what the total amount of donations received. Isn't it important to know who the patrons of arts and artifacts were?

I have heard of a group who promote the work of Indian artisans, but we never seem to hear of them here, and it seems to me to be a bit of a wasted opportunity in that it doesn't seem to be actively promoted worldwide. If I were doing interior design, I'd be using the gorgeous silk carpets, wall-hangings, pottery, etc., produced by these families of artisans...they are simply gorgeous. Methinks I shall place a link to the org (shall find its site again...that's why google was invented!!) on my own website, with a note waxing lyrical about the gorgeous work these geniuses produce. :))

mine is a second print from 1987