18/04/2022
Pic 1: The Victoria and Albert Musuem is not just an important resource for world history, housing some of the most beautiful and fantastic artefacts, but it also has the world's first Musuem Cafe started in the 19th century.
The Cafe rooms are named after the designers Gamble, Poynter and Morris, with walls adorned exquisitely with ceramics, glass and enamel. These materials were not only chosen for their aesthetic beauty, but due to a Victorian fear of fire - these furnishings were chosen for their resistance to fire and also happened to be easy to clean!
Pic 2: The Mahishasur Mardini is a figure that is common all through South Indian kingdoms with most art styles from the region having a go at it.
This particular statue at the V & A is from the Hoysala kingdom and dates to the 13th century. The statue was reportedly presented to the seventh Viscount Powerscourt in 1861.
The expression on Durga's face is serene, almost detached from her act of slaying the Buffalo demon.
Pic 3: Tipu Sultan was an 18th century king of Mysore who posed plenty of problems for the British. After years of skirmishes the king was killed by the British who took away many of his treasures.
One of these was the famous Tipu’s Tiger, discovered by the British in the music room of Tipu's palace in Srirangapatnam in 1799.
Though explicitly anti-British, the V&A’s decision to display this spoil of war in 1880 was seen as overturning the iconography.
While some may frown upon its continued exhibition, the item is one of ingenuity as the contraption on the tiger allows it to move a little and create a sound imitating the dying European mauled beneath its claws.
