Crystal Gallery

Unravel the history of a century-old crystal collection

Discover the Crystal Gallery, fittingly housed in a palace, one of the single largest private crystal collections in the world that includes a bewildering number of objets d’art, dinner sets, perfume bottles, decanters, glasses, washing bowls, furniture and also the only crystal bed in the world! Beyond the artefacts, the Crystal Gallery’s history is just as fascinating: in 1877, the Maharana Sajjan Singh ordered a custom-made shipment from the crystal craftsmen, FC Osler & co. His vision was to build several crystal-studded palaces across Rajasthan, with designs inspired by India, rather than of Western origin. Yet the news of the arrival of the shipment, was followed by the untimely death of the Maharana, and the family believed it to be an ill omen. The collection remained boxed up and was forgotten for almost 110 years, before it saw the light of day and was displayed before a crowd of foreign and royal dignitaries, and finally found a home in the Crystal Gallery.

Image credits: Arian Zwegers, CC-BY-2.0