| Among the art galleries in South India, the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery of Mysore is noteworthy because of its possession of great paintings from the brush of world famous artists such as Rembrandt, the like of which are not found in anywhere in the world except Russia. Besides Rembrandt, works of old masters like P.P. Rubens, Titian, Caddy and miniature paintings by Gunov are also exhibited in the western section of the collections. Valuable and rare contributions made by Col.Scott, a British Army Officer, who served in the British Army that fought against Tipu Sultan, were shifted from Srirangapatna to this gallery in 1950. Gravure prints by British army men showing details of the Mysore Wars and of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan are also arranged in the gallery. A spacious hall is set apart exclusively for the famous paintings of Raja Ravi Verma, the famous Kerala prince and painter, whose paintings relate incidents from epics. Also displayed are paintings of Mysore, Bengal and European schools. Among the famous painters whose works have found place in this art gallery are Mysore K. Venkatappa, Nikolay Roerich of Russia, Jiladin Ville of Germany, Sterling from England and Colton from Italy. The Indian artists whose paintings are displayed include those of Raja Rama Varma, brother of Ravi Varma, Ishwardas, Haldenkar, Subbukrishna and M. Veerappa. M. Ramanarasaiah, who was the curator of this gallery for a long time, has executed most of the paintings related to the Mysore royal family. Ramanarasaiah was the Palace Artist and was also in-charge of the exhibits of the gallery. Prior to his appointment as full-time Curator, renowned artist G.Venkatachalam was the Curator. The walls of the third floor are richly covered with interesting and colourful paintings relating to Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. On one side, his Dussera procession is displayed. The Maharaja is seen going in procession in a chariot drawn by elephants, one of the earliest authentic visual records of the Dussera celebrations. Some of the games displayed on the adjacent wall are very interesting. Some games, such as Devi Sayujya and Srikanta Sayujya were designed to direct the thoughts of players heavenward. The game of chess in Indian or Hindu tradition is also represented on this wall. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was an adept at these games and invented several new ones, some of which are displayed here. Jaganmohan Palace has an excellent collection of musical instruments, some of which were used by The Maharajas. It also houses ornamental furniture, glass and Chinaware, sculptures and photographs. |
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