Memories of maharajas

If you’re in London this weekend and looking for something worthwhile to do, you might find it difficult to choose between the gazillions of things on offer. However, if you can get in, I’d recommend the new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Maharaja - The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts.










Maharaja means ‘great king’ - and the curiosities on display certainly show the wealth, power, and cultural influence of this stylish, princely ruling class – as well as their observance of ‘rajadharma’: the duties and behaviour appropriate to a king. Apparently, the vision of a king in all his splendour is believed to be auspicious – there's even a term, 'darshan', the propitious act of seeing and being seen by a superior being.



Some of the highlights on display include a procession scene that includes a life-sized elephant, complete with ornamental chair … plus the elephant sports its own ultra-dangly stylish silver earring. Another centerpiece is an original Rolls Royce 'Phantom I' car that is stunningly huge, with magnificent sweeping lines – a veritable style icon, and suitably fit for a maharaja.






There is also the gloriously glittering patiala necklace, a ceremonial piece that was re-set by Cartier for the Maharaja Bupindha Singh and would have even Mr Graff drooling. There are several quite extraordinary saris belonging to maharanis (maharajas' wives), including one in divine satin with spider-like coral sequin detail - bang on trend, though almost a century old … And there's a fabulous Art-Deco mirrored men’s Cartier dressing table set that’s to die for. The vintage fans with peacock feathers and exquisitely enamelled handles are awesome. By the way, the peacock is the national bird and is thought to provide a watchful eye over the people of India.





The exhibition covers the life of the maharajas during a period from the end of Moghul rule in the early 18th century up to the partition of India in 1947. There is plenty of evidence of the generous patronage provided by the maharajas, including some curiously contemporary modernist pieces of furniture by Eckart Muthesius, the architect of the most recent palace, commissioned by the Maharaja of Indore in 1930 – along with portraits by the French artist, Bernard Boutet de Monvel.




Although their cultural heritage and traditions are still appreciated to this day, due to escalating costs and dwindling incomes, most of the Indian princes have sold off their assets, transformed their palaces into hotels, or even opened their own museums.








We’re not suggesting that you attempt to follow in their footsteps, but, if on visiting the V&A, you acquire something of a fondness for elephants and jewels, we’re sure you’ll like this rather charming and totally unique Indian silver lucky elephant charm necklace with semi-precious stones that’s available at ShopCurious.



Do you?

Spanish rose

So we finally travel back to Europe to bring to an end our curiously circuitous trip along the Silk Route. We're just stopping off in Spain for a final glimmer of summer sunshine, a spot of flamenco dancing and a whiff of some late flowering Spanish roses.





Of course some parts of Spain are sunny all year round, like the Canary Islands. Perhaps that's why the Greeks and Romans called the archipelago the Fortunate or Happy Islands. Some historians believe that the legendary continent of Atlantis was located here.






On to the mainland for a bit more action. Flamenco combines dancing, singing and musical accompaniment. It possibly evolved from the music of Moslem Andalucia, during Medieval times, but developed into the dance of the gitanos or gypsies, the form of flamenco as we know it, from the late 18th century onwards. Of course, there's also a fair amount of fashion involved in flamenco. Traditional female flamenco costume is a fringed shawl, a long frilly flamenco dress (bata de cola), a fan and a flower worn in the hair.



At ShopCurious, we've got a wonderful selection of Spanish inspired vintage clothing and unique accessories for dancing (or dining, or just looking pretty). As well as our collection of original vintage silk scarves featuring Spanish tourist destinations, we've also a vintage skirt made of a recycled Spanish silk scarf with unusual hand dyed pale pink fringing. You might like to team this up with one of our selection of fans - this hand painted Spanish lace number should work perfectly - or it might make an unusual gift for someone who's visiting a hot country, who's a collector of vintage fans, or simply a lover of beautiful things.






To top it off, here's a stylish Spanish silk rose corsage, which you can use as a flamenco-style hair accessory, though this one can also be worn as a bracelet, or pinned to your dress. It looks as naturally beautiful as a real rose too - can you tell the difference?

All this talk of flowers is making me feel homesick. I know it's a bit sad, but I'm missing my plants! I'm curious to see what's happened in the garden whilst I've been away.
Are you?

Fans of cool style

Fans are a stylish way of keeping comfortably cool during the hot weather we're experiencing and that visitors to the Olympics in Beijing are likely to encounter. They're also a tried and tested method of creating a bit of breeziness too, having been around for quite a while - at least 3,000 years in fact.

If you haven't visited the Fan Museum at Greenwich, I highly recommend it. You can learn all about the history and even the anatomy (left) of the fan. The first types of folding fans were inspired by those brought in by merchant traders from China and Japan. Fans were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and continued to be imported from the Far East, as well as being produced in Europe.

Fans were originally associated with nobility, but gradually became more widely available - though they've always remained something of a fashion statement, if not a showcase for artists ( another case of fashion meeting art in history).


We've got a selection of vintage fans on sale at ShopCurious: from the decorative hand painted oriental variety to dramatic flirty feathered types. These unique accessories make an exotic addition to any outfit and are also great as an unusual gift.

Peacock feathers were often used to embellish Chinese fans (see above right). In China, the peacock is a symbol of beauty and dignity. An old Chinese legend tells the tale of a daughter of a top military commander who painted a peacock on an ornamental screen and promised to marry the first man who could hit the peacock twice with arrows whilst running. This resulted in the curious term "Selection by hitting the bird screen" - a Chinese euphemism for finding a husband.

For some modern day advice on this, click on the pic to the right. Alternatively, you could simply use your fan to create an air of mystery and allure ... and await the response.
Will you?