, museum in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Maharashtra, India. Its foundation was laid in 1905, and the museum was opened to the public in 1922. The building, designed by Scottish architect George Wittet, is a specimen of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The museum has a collection of about 70,000 items, including artifacts from the Indus civilization, Indian miniature paintings, Indian textiles and costumes, and Japanese art. The museum is a part of a UNESCO World Heritage site (designated in 2018) near Mumbai’s Oval Maidan (“Oval Park”; a recreational ground), which is composed of 94 Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings.

History

In 1905 the Prince of Wales (later King George V), along with his consort, Mary of Teck, arrived in India for a tour of the country. The Prince of Wales Museum of Western India was founded to commemorate the visit of the prince, who laid the foundation stone of the museum. The construction of the museum was completed by 1914, but its opening was delayed until 1922 because of World War I (1914–18)—during which the building functioned as a military hospital—and the influenza pandemic (1918–20)—when the building once again served as a hospital. In 1920 the building was placed under the care of the museum’s trustees, under whom the curation of the museum collection began. Between 1942 and 1946 a section of the museum was made available to the Red Cross. In 2001 the museum was renamed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.

Collections

The museum’s exhibits span three overarching categories—art, archaeology, and natural history. Its art collection showcases a robust array of miniature paintings that represents most prominent schools, such as Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari, and Deccani. The Mughal miniature collection includes several watercolor portraits, such as those of Mughal emperors Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) and Aurangzeb (1658–1707). Also of note is the painting Madonna and Infant Jesus (1620–1630 ce), a Mughal artistic rendition of The Holy Family with Saint Anne and Two Angels (c. 1593), a painting by the Flemish engraver and painter Egidius Sadeler II. Many of the Rajasthani and Pahari miniatures, such as the Raaslila of Krishna and Gopis (early 18th century ce) and Siva’s Family (late 18th century ce), feature Hindu mythological figures, as well as scenes from the Indian epic Ramayana, as in the illustration The Breaking of the Bow (1649 ce). The Rajasthani miniature collection includes illustrated folios of Rasikapriya (“Beloved of the Connoisseur”), a seminal work of Hindi literature composed by Indian scholar Keshavadasa during riti kal (literary period; c. 17th–19th century ce). The museum holds a fine assemblage of Japanese art, which comprises ceramic ware, such as ornate vases, metal and metal alloy artifacts, and wood figurines. The museum has a diverse set of traditional Indian textiles and costumes that feature various kinds of artistic techniques, such as embroidery, block printing, and beadwork.

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There are a variety of antiquities from the Indus civilization, such as terra-cotta female figurines, a toy bullock cart, a bead necklace, and several stone weights. Notable among the museum’s wide assortment of arms is a khanda (a type of sword) owned by the Delhi sultan Ala al-Din Khalji (reigned 1296–1316). An intricately ornamented shield and a suit of armor belonging to Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) are in the collection as well. The museum has a selection of coins issued by several prominent Indian rulers, such as Samudragupta (reigned 330–80 ce) and Chandragupta II (reigned c. 380–c. 415 ce) of the Gupta dynasty, Sher Shah of Sur (reigned 1540–45 ce) of the Sur dynasty, and Mughal emperor Jahangir (reigned 1605–27 ce).

The museum’s collection also comprises specimens of reptiles, mammals, and birds preserved through taxidermy and the skulls of two endangered species, the Sumatran rhinoceros and the wild water buffalo.