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The Salar Jung museum is the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. The museum is named after Nawab Mir Tulab Ali Khan, Prime Minister of the Nizam and titled Salar Jung Bahadur(1853) who collected priceless gems of art wherever he travelled. His quest for art objects grew into a passion beginning the greatest private collection of objects of art like Persian carpets, Chinese porcelain, Japanese lacquer-ware, sculptures, jade, Aurangzeb's sword, daggers belonging to queen Nur Jehan and the Emperors Jehangir and Shah Jahan.
One of the most famed exhibit is the veiled Rebecca, the translucent white marble statue by Bezoni, an Italian sculptor. The museum exhibits the pick(30,000 pieces) of over 47,000 pieces of antiques. The oriental section has the richest collection of manuscripts including the illuminated Qurans and splendidly calligraphed classics. The Jade Room contains a magnificent collection of encrusted spice boxes, mirror backs, huqqas, archery rings etc. Carpet section with velvety metal-thread carpets of Kashan, the Tree of Life carpets from Kirman, the multi-medallion and arabesque carpets of North Persia and others from Tabriz, Shiraz, Isfahan and Heart. The art galleries include, raga-raginis in Deccan style, miniatures in Mewar, Arwar, Jaipur and Mughal styles: modern works from Chugatai, D P Rai Choudary, Tagore and Sharda Ukil; western master pieces from Landseer, Watts, Leighton, Cooper, landscapes by Turner and Constable; copies of Grand Master's works like Reubens, Raphael, Boticelli, Tita. The highlight of the museum is the section of arms - exquistely bejewelled hilts of swords and daggers, handles of jade, fish bone, and ivory ornamented with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. There are children's sections, furniture sections and various other classifications, each an ocean of adventure in itself.
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