Virtual Conversation | The Houston Sarpech
India, Sarpech (Turban Jewel), early 18th century, gold, silver, diamonds, and enamel, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. Accessions Endowment Fund.
India, Sarpech (Turban Jewel), early 18th century, gold, silver, diamonds, and enamel, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. Accessions Endowment Fund.
The Houston Sarpech: Personal Adornment, Symbolism, Craftsmanship, and Extraordinary Jewelry
This conversation commemorates the Museum’s acquisition of a resplendent sarpech (turban jewel), formerly in the collection of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Usha Balakrishnan, art historian and author of Jewels of the Nizams, talks with special guest H. H. Radhikaraje Gaekwad, the Maharani of Baroda.
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Free via Zoom
About the Speakers
Usha Balakrishnan is an independent scholar of Indian art and culture. Based in Mumbai, she is the principal curator of the World Diamond Museum and author of publications including Dance of the Peacock: Jewellry Traditions of India and Treasures of the Deccan.
H. H. Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad oversees Lukshmi Vilas Palace, one of the largest private residences in the world, in Baroda, India. She is also the director of India’s CDS Art Foundation and was a journalist with the Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi.
Learning and Interpretation programs receive generous funding from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation; Institute of Museum and Library Services; H-E-B; MD Anderson Cancer Center; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Sharon G. Dies; Susan Vaughan Foundation; and additional generous donors.