Maharaja

The Classicist: Inside a Hundred Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books, The Classicist

Since 1854, when Monsieur Louis Vuitton opened his first store in Paris, his name has been synonymous with the ultimate in luxurious luggage. His incredible trunks with their now iconic canvas coverings, introduced that same year, combined pragmatism and elegance and were "perfectly adapted to the current means of transport and changes in the lives of his clients." That's the basis of the best luxury book of the year, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks, just published by Abrams, Illustrated with 600 images taken from the Louis Vuitton archives in France and new, specially-commissioned photographs. From trains and ocean liners to the earliest automobiles and even hot air balloons, on journeys to all corners of the globe, the Vuitton trunk has crossed time and borders and remains an icon of the golden age of travel, epitomizing the glamour and elegant decadence of an era when journeying to a foreign land involved adventure, romance and style.

The trunks featured in the incredible book are "extraordinary in every way, for a hundred reasons," writes Patrick-Louis Vuitton, the fifth-generation descendant of Monsieur Vuitton who is now in charge of bespoke orders for the firm, "as much for what they carried as for the work, the care, the inventiveness and the ingenuity required to make them." The 100 featured trunks are divided into five sections according to the people who owned them: Explorers & Adventurers, Crowned Heads & Aristocrats, Dandies & Fashionable Ladies, Artists & Scholars, and Hedonists & Eccentrics. Many a Maharaja, actors from Douglas Fairbanks to Sharon Stone, couturiers from Jeanne Lanvin to Karl Lagerfeld, as well as the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Leopold Stokowski, and Damien Hirst have all traveled with Louis Vuitton trunks, often customized in various ways.

Gallery: Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks

The Complete Wardrobe made for Sacha Guitry, 1913

The volume of a Louis Vuitton trunk can be defined by the nature of its contents, the means of transport, its handling, etc.

The Mail Trunk made for Paul Poiret 1911

Tags: Abrams, Aristocrats, bespoke, books, coffee table books, exotic leather, France, Louis Vuitton, luggage, luxury goods, luxury travel, LVMH, Maharaja, Paris, travel, trunks

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Steal of the Century: $13 Million 'Star of India' Rolls-Royce Sells for $850,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Back in September 2009 we reported that the famed "Star of India", a one-off 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental "All-Weather Convertible" custom made for the Maharaja of Rajkot with coachwork by Thrupp and Maberley, had been listed for sale at $13 million, making it one of the world's most expensive automobiles. Now it has finally changed hands for a mere $850,000, making it the steal of the century. The buyer, Mandhatasinh Jadeja, is actually the grandson of the Maharaja who originally owned it. He told the Times of India he plans to return the car to its homeland and give it to his father as a 75th birthday present, after which it will be housed in a private museum. The incredible car is currently on display at Canada's Art Gallery of Ontario as part of the Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts exhibition.

Gallery: Star of India Rolls-Royce

Tags: classic cars, India, Maharaja, Rolls-Royce, Star of India

World's Best Rolls-Royce Collection in Monaco Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

It looks like the famed "Star of India" Rolls-Royce we wrote about back in the fall failed to find a buyer at its eye-popping $13 million asking price. The incredible auto, a bespoke, one-of-a-kind 1934 Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental "All-Weather Convertible" (above) custom made for an Indian Maharaja, is now slated to be auctioned off during RM Auctions' Sporting Classics of Monaco sale on May 1. The car and two dozen other highly prized Rolls-Royces on offer are from the world famous collection of Hans-Günther Zach, who had them on display at his private museum dedicated to the British marque in Germany. Among the other stellar Rolls models crossing the auction block in Monaco is a 1926 40/50 HP Phantom I Open Tourer, built for the Maharaja of Nanpara with a polished aluminum body and chassis; a Phantom II Cabriolet "Hunting Car" built for the the Maharajah of Rewa specially made for tiger shooting with a built-in gun rack; and a 1920 40/50 Silver Ghost Coupé de Ville made for cognac king Jean Hennessy and later owned by winemaker and noted car collector Baron de Rothschild.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Maharaja, Monaco, RM Auctions, RmAuctions, Rolls-Royce

The Splendor of India's Royal Courts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Books, Wealth

Newly published to accompany a major exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts examines the rich world of the famed Indian princes from the early 18th century to 1947, when they formally ceded their territories to the modern states of India and Pakistan. Everything from incredible jewels to custom made Rolls-Royce motorcars, paintings, textiles, metalwork, and furniture is examined in the lavishly-illustrated book, showcasing the rich and varied objects that reflect different aspects of royal life. The aim is to "give readers an understanding of royal status and identity, court culture, and patronage." Particular maharajas are highlighted alongside essays by international scholars exploring "Indian concepts of kingship, the public aspects of princely life, architecture of the princely court, palace life and recreation, and the important role of the princes as patrons of traditional arts."

Tags: India, London, Maharaja, royalty, Victoria and Albert Museum, VictoriaAndAlbertMuseum

The Jewels of the Marahini of Kapurthala Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

This fall there seem to be more famous jewels hitting the auction block than usual. As part of the same sale that will auction off Marie Antoinette's pearls on December 12 in London, Christie's will be auctioning off pieces that belonged to Anita Delgado, a Spanish dancer who became the fifth wife of the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. In a story fit for a romance novel, Delgado, born in Malaga, Spain in 1890, was seen by the Maharaja in a crowd of onlookers of the marriage King Alfonso XIII in 1906 in Madrid. The smitten Maharaja attended Delgado's dance performances in a cafe and married her in 1907. She became the Maharani of Kapurthala and they had one son, Ajit Singh, in 1908. The couple divorced in 1925. The jewels were left to her son who eventually sold them to the current owners.

There are eight pieces total which exemplify fine Art Deco styles. The piece shown here an emerald, diamond and rock crystal necklace, is estimated to sell for over $200,000.

[via France24.com]

Source

Tags: art deco, auction, emeralds, india, jewels, maharaja

Magnificent Jewels Auction Results

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The results of Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels Auction are now online. The auction made a total of $17,526,900 by the time the final gavel was dropped. Three lots from the sale passed the million dollar mark. A 39 carat, intense yellow, cushion-shaped diamond ring brought $1.02 million and the pear-shaped Golden Maharaja diamond, which is a dark orange color and 65.5 carats, sold for nearly $1.4 million, more than double its estimated price. The star of the show was the 107.46 carat fancy yellow Rojtman diamond, which sold for $1.9 million