9 September 2017 – 3 January 2018
Venice, Palazzo Ducale, Chamber of the Scrutinio

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Adults

Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas: The Al Thani Collection

The guided tour allows visitors to explore three hundred jewels of unsurpassed quality, in terms of both the size and purity of the precious stones, gold and pearls, and the refinement of the workmanship. It offers a privileged encounter with five centuries of splendour of a refined art, through exploring its symbolic and cultural implications, within the context of the great Indian civilisation, in which every gem has a meaning and is much more than mere ornament. A visit to the exhibition can be combined with a visit of the Doge’s Palace, accessible with the same ticket.
Duration: 2 hours (with the Palace)
Languages: Italian, English, French.

Families

Fabulously

Set within the enchanting context of the exhibition, an animated reading of Indian fairy tales (adaptable  according to the different age groups allows children to learn about this ancient and complex civilisation in an entertaining manner, amidst princes and princesses, jewels (of course… ), animals, children, demons, magic and moral values … The activity then continues with the creation of a story to be invented or reworked, either alone or as part of a group, starting with some “key” words or images from the recent experience of the exhibition. Parents may choose whether to participate in this experience with their children or continue visiting the exhibition and/or the Doge’s Palace.
Duration: 2 hours (with the Palace)
Languages: Italian, English, French.

Schools

Interactive visit

Moguls and Maharajahs, history and myth, splendour and spirituality
Secondary school; Higher education

The guided tour in this spectacular exhibition offers several keys of interpretation: history, civilisation and society, applied arts… Approximately five hundred years of the history of power in India are examined: from the period of the Mughal Empire founded in 1526, to the glittering courts of the maharajahs that survived with incredible wealth even after colonisation by the British, constituting one of the most fascinating worlds in Western imagination and even determining a long-lasting and significant cross-fertilisation, in which the tastes and cultures of East and West blended. But the exhibition also offers the opportunity to observe and understand fundamental elements of the complex Indian civilisations and cultures through some of their most important symbols. All through the exploration of a series of objects of unsurpassed quality,  in terms of both the size and purity of the precious stones, gold and pearls, and the truly refined workmanship. This is an unmissable experience for those studying the making of jewellery, intaglio and all the arts and crafts associated with these techniques.

Lenght: 2 hours
Languages: Italian, English, French.

Workshop

Fabulously
Kindergarten (the oldest children), primary school and the first year of secondary school

Set within the enchanting context of the exhibition, an animated reading of Indian fairy tales (adaptable according to the different age groups) allows children to learn about this ancient and complex civilisation in an entertaining manner, amidst princes and princesses, jewels (of course… ), animals, children, demons, magic and moral values​…

The activity then continues with the creation of a story to be invented or reworked, either alone or as part of a group, starting with some “key” words or images from the recent experience of the exhibition.

Lenght: 2 hours
Languages: Italian, English, French.