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Welcome to Saturday University, a monthly lecture series featuring experts from around the world. Gain new insights on Asia throughout time as our visiting scholars, authors, artists, and thought leaders delve into new themes each season.Plumage and Power, Decadence and Decay: Fashioning Lady Curzon, Vicereine of India
Siddhartha V. Shah
Look closely at a gown commissioned by the Vicereine of India, Lady Curzon, to examine how fashion—specifically womenswear—has been used at various moments in history to convey imperial power. Worn at the 1903 Delhi Durbar State Ball, the legendary Peacock Dress was covered in tessellated peacock feathers embroidered in gold, silver, and copper threads, further embellished with lace and several pounds of diamonds. The dress was as symbolic as it was magnificent and transformed the statuesque Vicereine into a luminous spectacle that veiled the many ways in which the Raj and Curzon herself were falling apart at the seams.
The dress has deteriorated significantly since 1903 and is currently undergoing extensive treatment to bring it back to its original state. Together we will consider what it is that is being preserved by resurrecting the Peacock Dress. Is it the gown's exceptional Indian craftsmanship, the heartbreaking tale of Lady Curzon's life, or perhaps nostalgia for the glory days of Empire? We examine how dress can simultaneously reveal our authentic and aspirational selves while also laying bare our deepest insecurities. We also explore the tensions between the natural process of decay and our often unnatural efforts to prevent it.
Siddhartha V. Shah is the John Wieland 1958 Director of the Mead Art Museum at Amherst
College where he oversees the museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs, as well as a variety of initiatives aimed at deepening community engagement both on and off campus. He was previously Director of Education and Civic Engagement, and Curator of South Asian Art, at the Peabody Essex Museum, and had a career as a gallerist, gallery director, and dealer of South Asian and Himalayan art for over 15 years. Shah's academic and curatorial projects have been featured in publications ranging from The Times of India and India Today to The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and Psychology Today. He received a BA in Art History from Johns Hopkins University, an MA in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a PhD in Art History & Archaeology from Columbia University where his research engaged with the politics of styling Empire in Victorian India through fashion, jewels, and public spectacle.
📷: The State Entry into Delhi, Roderick MacKenzie, 1907, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, United States
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