The Salar Jung museum is the product of one man’s life long dedication to the appreciation and preservation of art. It houses a wide variety of artefacts ranging from sculptures to paintings, manuscripts, textiles, carpets, metal work, carvings, clocks, ceramics, and furniture. Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, also known as Salar Jung III was an avid art collector with a keen eye for aesthetics and collected a major portion of the artefacts on display today at the museum. In 1951, the collection was opened to the public as a part of the Salar Jung museum and has delighted its visitors since then.
It is an absolute delight for all the history lovers and with sites like Yatra providing offers to make your trip possible, there is no reason why you should not visit this place for a taste of culture and history. Check flight fare from Delhi to Hyderabad and book your tickets today.
Art from far and wide
The museum has an enviable collection that covers the 2nd century BC till the 20th century AD. Spanning art forms from Indian Art to Middle Eastern Art, Far Eastern Art, and European Art. With a separate section for children in the museum, its most popular feature is the clock room that showcases more than 300 varieties of clocks through the ages. With two floors and 38 galleries, the museum is the third largest museum in India while holding the record for being the largest private collection in the world.
Rare art pieces
Salar Jung museum is one of the few places where you can see celebrated Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma’s rare paintings. They also have exquisite calligraphy in gold and silver in their Quran collection which is truly mesmerising. Italian sculptor Benzoni’s Veiled Rebecca is another draw. The sculptor has a transparent veil chiseled out of marble and is testimony to the artist’s talent. The French are not behind with with works from Canaletto and Matteini.
The lifestyle of yore
The museum also offers a peek into the lifestyle of the past with items that would have formed a part of a household. Apart from daggers and swords, jade embedded cutlery, tiffin boxes with gold work and porcelain bottles and vases are exquisite pieces of art in themselves. The Bohemian glass decanters and bowls in baroque style represented floral and scroll designs. The museum is also famed for its European furniture with pieces from France and England which includes cabinets, consoles, chairs, screens, table among other pieces.
Extensive European and Far East art collections
The Salar Jung museum is one of the few museums that display such an extensive line of European and Far East collection. The former is represented by glass objects, ivories in addition to paintings. Notable among this section is the dual statue carved out of one piece of wood that has Mephistopheles on one side and Margaretta on the other. Symbolical of good and evil, it is inspired by Goethe. The Far Eastern gallery prominently features the Sino-Japanese art forms across mediums such as porcelain, bronze, enamel, lacquer, embroidery, painting, wood and inlay work.
With a library of more than 62,000 printed books in addition to rare manuscripts, the museum also serves as a place of information and education. They routinely conduct seminars and workshops to further encourage the dialogue and discussion on art. The museum also publishes guide books, research papers and journals in a bid to continue the good work started by the Salar Jung family. Check flight fare from Delhi to hyderabad and brush up on your art history as you escape into the world of the artists at the museum.