Manik Bagh, also spelled Manig Bagh, is a palace of the

Holkar The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Mar ...

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great Monarch, king" or "high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Em ...

Indore State Indore State, also known as Holkar State, was a kingdom in India. Its rulers belonged to the Holkar dynasty. After 1857, Indore became a 19-gun salute Maratha princely state (a rare high rank) under the British Raj. Indore state was ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

. The name means "Ruby Garden" or "Gem Garden". It was designed and built by the German architect Eckart Muthesius on behalf of Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II in 1930. On the outside and the inside it was in the ''

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style, making it a ''

Gesamtkunstwerk A ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' (, literally 'total artwork', translated as 'total work of art', 'ideal work of art', 'universal artwork', 'synthesis of the arts', 'comprehensive artwork', or 'all-embracing art form') is a work of art that makes use of al ...

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History

The palace was commissioned by Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II for the use of himself and his wife Sanyogita Devi. It was built and furnished between 1930 and 1939 by the German architect Eckart Muthesius, and its design combines the ''

'' style in architecture and

in the interior decoration. The prince and the architect had first met in 1928 in England. The 40 rooms of the U-shaped building were all connected directly or through terraces. For the 80 or so servants in the house a separate external corridor was created. Because the walls could neither be wallpapered nor covered with silk due to the high humidity of the rainy months, Muthesius decided to come up with a solution by having the finest glass dust blown on the previously prepared walls. The floor was laid out in marble. The furniture, which was predominantly shaped according to the ''Bauhaus'' model, was made of black ebony, as were most of the columns. Muthesius designed for example the

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, lamps and some furniture. The furniture was partly dismantled in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, packed and shipped to Indore. A friend of the maharaja, Henri-Pierre Roché brought together for him a crystal service by

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, silverware by Jean Puiforcat customised with the royal arms, a deckchair by

Eileen Gray Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish architect and furniture designer who became a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, she was associated with many notable Euro ...

, a floor lamp by Jean Perzel, a chaiselongue by

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and screens by Drian. The aluminium beds were made by

Louis Sognot Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

and Charlotte Alix. Famous French designer Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann designed a "Studio for a Crown Prince of the Indies" with a huge map of India on the wall. The black and orange carpets with geometric patterns were by Ivan da Silva-Bruhns. Two large double-portraits of the maharajah and his wife were done by

Bernard Boutet de Monvel Bernard Boutet de Monvel (9 August 1881 – 28 October 1949) was a French painter, sculptor, engraver, fashion illustrator and interior decorator. Although first known for his etchings, he earned notability for his paintings, especially his geo ...

in 1929 and were placed in the palace. In the garden, there was a project to create a garden with a "temple of meditation", with an installation of the bird sculptures by Brancusi that the maharaja owned. With the premature death of the maharani the project was never completed. Muthesius had to leave India after the outbreak of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the premature death of his wife Sanyogita Diva, the maharajah started to retreat from his interest in contemporary art and architecture and returned less to Manik Bagh. The interior decoration was sold and in 1980 auctioned at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

in Monaco. Manik Bagh is now used by the Office of the Commissioner, CGST, Customs & Central Excise. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris had an exhibition in 2019 called "Moderne Maharajah" dedicated to Yashwant Rao Holkar II and Manik Bagh, featuring some of the interior pieces such as the aluminium bed by Louis Sognot and Charlotte Alix, as well as pieces by Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann.

References

Literature

* Reto Niggl: ''Eckart Muthesius 1930. Der Palast des Maharadschas von Indore. Architektur und Interieur''. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart 1996, * Reto Niggl, Annette Piening, Nicholas Grindell: ''Indien / India 1930–1939. Architektur / Architecture, Design, Photography / Fotografie''. Munich 1999, * Anna Jackson (ed.): ''Maharaja. Pracht der indischen Fürstenhöfe''. (Exhibition catalogue, Kunsthalle Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, 12. February bis 24. May 2010) Hirmer, Munich 2010,

External links

{{commonscat
Decorative Arts Diary

Moderne Maharajah. Un mécène des années 1930

Manik Bagh antiques to come under hammer , Indore News - Times of India

Designing for the Manik Bagh Palace: Eckart Muthesius and the Maharaja
1930 establishments in India Art Deco architecture in India Bauhaus Buildings and structures in Indore History of Indore Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh Palaces in Madhya Pradesh Royal residences in India Tourist attractions in Indore