Imperial Spectacle

DAG's Delhi Durbar exhibition, curated by Rana Safvi (R) and Swapna Liddle (L), draws on the gallery's in-house archival material to bring alive the pomp and pageantry of the three Delhi Durbars

- Aditya Mani Jha

Among the first things you see in the DAG exhibition Delhi Durbar: Empire, Display and the Possession of History (on till November 6) is a watercolour and-ink painting of the Qutub Minar from 1830, drawn by a Delhi artist. At first glance, you don’t notice the unusual thing about it, but a closer look reveals the glaring idiosyncrasy. There’s a cupola at the top of the monument, added by Major Robert Smith in 1829 and later removed in 1849, over complaints that the addition was incompatible with the tower’s style. Details like this are what make Delhi Durbar, curated by Rana Safvi and Swapna Liddle, worth your while. Incidentally, this is the first DAG exhibition to be comprised entirely of in-house archival material; Safvi and Liddle selected and contextualised the documents, objects, photographs, artwork, etc. on display.