Treasury of the World: Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals
Sumptuous and exquisite best describe this dazzling catalog of  an exhibition on tour to London, New York, Cleveland, Houston,  and Los Angeles during 2001-02. From cover to cover, the book  treats the reader to the visual splendor of 16th- to  19th-century jeweled objects found in the Sheikh Nasser Sabah  al-Ahmad al-Sabah Collection of the Kuwait National Museum.  Following a descriptive introduction to the collection and a  brief historical essay on the Mughal empire, 13 sections focus  on a variety of objects ranging from stone settings, inlaid  hardstones, and carved gemstones and three-dimensional  expressions. Each section is accompanied by a brief essay that  places the objects in historical, technical, and artistic  perspective. The items included are identified by size, source  and date of creation, and provenance. This catalog provides  valuable insight into the creativity and skill of Mughal  artisans, whose jewelry is unlike that created by renowned  European jewelers for Indian maharajas and royalty, as described  in Katherine Prior and John Adamson's Maharajas' Jewels (LJ  3/1/01). Highly recommended. Stephen Allan Patrick, East  Tennessee State Univ. Libs., Johnson CityCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.