Splendours of an Italian display

Here were also the books on monuments such as the one on Padova, Castel del Monte and world heritage. The tables were neatly placed with books that opened up to the photographs, that took you away to a leisurely world of Middle Ages and Renaissance as well as the stages from the twentieth century. Travel books were laid out too on Egypt and places in Italy like Venice, Turin, Lombardi, Padova, and ones that covered the whole of Italy and Europe. One did not have to know the language as each photograph spoke for a thousand words.

The magnificence of the chunky jewellery, placed alongside the books as specimens of Italian handicraft, was enticing too. These were in semi-precious stones, scintillating cut glass and pearls. These boasted of silver and gold links, clasps and heavy, ornate as well as avant-garde pendants. The large stones varied from turquoise and coral to flame yellow and black, and beckoned one like some tucked away collection of a duchess with a flamboyant taste.

The exhibition brought in a waft of Italian cultural roots, even though they were limited to photographs as in art books in a libraries and a rare collection of irresistible strings of semi-precious and art nouveau stones.