Dr. Amin Jaffer author of Made For Maharajas A Design Diary of Princely India (Vendome Press, 2006) talks about the rich and lavish lifestyle of the maharajas and maharanis of India from 1857 till 1947, when India became independent.
During this period various Indian maharajas and maharanis shopped at the most expensive European design houses like Cartier, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, and others.
What makes this book interesting is the reproduction of receipts, and the stories of how the representative of the various design houses courted their Indian clients. According to Dr. Jaffer to date Cartier's highest commission came from a sales transaction to the Maharaja of Patiala. The book is filled with stories about the lifestyle of Rani Molly of Pudukkotai; Yashwant Rao Holkar-II of Indore (that is his photo on the cover of the book); Maharaja of Kapurthala; Maharaja of Patiala and numerous other Indian princes.
Dr. Jaffer is a curator in the department of Asian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
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