The Opening of The Indian Arts Exhibition (from the album ‘The Coronation Durbar Delhi 1903’)

This Saracenic style building of wood and plaster, ornamented with frescoes and tilework by pupils of the Mayo School of Art, Lahore was constructed at Qudsia Bagh solely for the Indian Arts Exhibtion of the 1903 Delhi Durbar and dismantled soon after. The exhibition was curated to exclude all traces of European or quasi-European influences which was believed to have led to the decline of the ancient artforms of India. Lord Curzon in his opening speech expressed his desire to keep the Indian crafts and handicrafts alive and encouraged Indian chiefs and nobility to purify their modern tastes and revert to their traditions. The galleries exhibited vast collections of fine muslin, silk and embroidered Indian brocades, gold and silver wares, wood carvings, pottery, metal, and enamel work.