×
Culture

The Jewel in the Crown

The Amrapali Museum in Jaipur is a rare celebration of Indian jewellery and craftsmanship

Kettle and creamer from a tea set: ‘In what shape can one fashion a tea pot?’ an artisan might have asked his companion back in the 1870s. ‘How about in the shape of a bird?’ he might have replied, ‘With the beak as the spout.’ And that is exactly what they did. The bird-shaped kettle and creamer herald India’s cosmopolitanism and creativity. Made with silver and gold, Arora says that the handle of the tea pot (which is shaped like the coil of a snake) has a special material in it that prevents it from heat