Indian Jewellery: Dance of the Peacock
by Usha R Bala Krishnan (9781851496334)

India, the "Golden Country" has since time immemorial, lured those in quest of spices, gold and precious gems. The principal trade routes across land and sea in the ancient world all led to India. As a repository of what was once the greatest concentration of mineral wealth on earth, this treasury of the world earned the epithet "sone ki chidia" or "bird of gold". The peacock is the Bird of India, its dance a celebration of life and beauty. Radiant with iridescent colours, the flamboyant bird has inspired jewellers through the ages. In ear ornaments, necklaces and bangles, the peacock recurs as a motif in Indian jewellery. Spanning 5,000 years of this glorious legacy, Indian Jewellery: Dance of the Peacock takes an ethnographic approach, weaving in factual information with the many fascinating stories recounted by ancient travellers to India. The book pays homage to the aesthetics of the patron and the virtuosity of the craftsman. Above all, the book celebrates the human impulse to adorn; more than 500 colour plates provide a spectacular visual panorama. AUTHOR: Usha R Bala Krishnan, has worked as Indian representative of Sotheby's, the internationally renowned auction house, as a Fine Arts consultant based in Bombay, and as the Indian correspondant for the Asian Art Newspaper, London. Usha writes on various aspects of classical and contemporary Indian arts for publications around the world. Meera Sushil Kumar, hailing from a family of reputed jewellers, has been researching, writing and lecturing on the subject for many years, and brings to the project years of first-hand experience with traditional Indian jewellery. Bharath Ramamrutham is an architect turned photographer whose outstanding work in both the built and natural environments has made him one of the most sought after photographers working in this genre in India today. With a background in design and an abiding interest in the aesthetic traditions of India, his work ranges from landscapes, architecture and interiors, to the documentation of myriad art forms. SELLING POINTS: -Accessing collections that have never been documented before, this book showcases some of the most outstanding examples of Indian jewellery from all over the world -Each item of jewellery is meticulously photographed to set off its every technical and aesthetic nuance ILLUSTRATIONS 546 colour 33 b/w

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