This is a royal howdah of the Sikh period, for regally sitting atop an elephant.
This one I’m mostly including for the detailed how-to-knap-a-hand-axe illustration, just in case there’s an acopalypse that I survive, and I need this knowledge. Or you do!
Gorgeous Muslim robes (Choghe).
Move over Fluevog — now *these* are some interesting shoes!
Candlestand made of buffalo horn, ewer decorated with papier maché motifs, and a scissors (?) container. I love how humans take purely functional items and make them beautiful.
Wood carving in the Punjab.
This one’s for the musicians…
This one’s for Roshani, who loves blue and white patterned pottery. (I like it too.)
I didn’t know that I adored Ahmadpur East pottery until I saw this exhibit. I might have to try to hunt up some replicas, as these pieces have stolen my heart.
Oh, these? Just some unutterably gorgeous glazed tiles I had hanging around…
I do like a city that appreciates a gorgeous trellis.
Definitely the prettiest lota I’ve ever seen. If you’re not familiar with the typical use of a spouted lota, I recommend looking it up.
(That’s it for now, folks — I’ll be back with more weapons when I get a chance. But for now — ICFA reception. Wine and cheese for all…)
Weapons
Swords and daggers.
Muslim Warfare Outfit
Astrolabes, which Lahore is apparently famous for. The text claims that it’s the oldest scientific instrument in the world, which I’m slightly dubious about — there’s always a tendency for nations to claim ‘first’ and ‘best,’ sometimes without a lot of evidence. But nonetheless, they certainly made many beautiful astrolabes here.
Pilgrimage scene on marble plaque. Love the details.
Oh, empire. Turns my stomach.
Textile art.
I really liked this series of pieces, Islamic calligraphy by Sadequain: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadequain
Upstairs at the museum was the Freedom Gallery; I was getting a little tired at that point, so I didn’t go through it in detail, but I did find it interesting how many photos they had of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) and his wife, Rattanbai (Ruttie) Jinnah, the jewel of Bombay. Hagiography, I suppose?
Their love story is interesting (and was controversial): https://thewire.in/…/ruttie-jinnah-interfaith-marriage…
That last photo, of Gandhi and Jinnah, is kind of heart-breaking, given Partition.
