II, and to Hendley and Jacob. Collection The museum has a rich collection of artifacts including paintings, jewelry, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures, and works in crystal. The collection includes coins from the Gupta, Kushan, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British periods. The superb collection is a result of efforts of Hendley who wanted to preserve local skills and crafts and showcase the best craftsmanship of other places for the people of Jaipur. A repository of 19,000 objects was collected by Hendley, including arms and armour, sculpture, international art from Japan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Hungary, Germany, Austria etc, pottery, carpets, jewellery, musical instruments, ivory, woodwork, and stone work. The Egyptian collection houses many objects. An Egyptian mummy is the main attraction of this museum. The 17th century Persian garden carpet and many ancient sculptures are coveted treasures of the museum. Numerous brass and metal objects were acquired for the collection. Many of them were replicas of the Jaipur Exhibits at Imperial Institute of London and others were purchased at the Punjab Exhibition of 1893-94 in Lahore. The collection is divided into many galleries - pottery collection being the largest and most varied housing exquisite samples from many regions of Indai as well as both western and oriental world. Building The museum building is made of marble and stone. The building was expanded specifically with a museum in mind. The outer walls of the building are painted with scenes from ancient civilizations. The upper part of the courtyard has extracts from religious texts, such as the Quran, the Bible, and Indian epics, inscribed on the walls. Six scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana depicted in colourful paintings are on the walls. The six-panel set includes the epic narratives of the great gambling scene, abduction of the white horse, Damayanti's Swayamvara, Sacrifice of King Mewardhwaja, and marriage of Bhikya to Chandrahas. These murals are copied from the 16th century manuscript of Razmnama, the Persian translation of Mahabharata by 19th century copyists. Albert Hall captured the imagination of experts, elites, the public and artists alike. Rudyard Kipling succinctly expressed a scholarly appreciation for the museum in Journal of Indian Art and Industry, dated 5th January 1885, "Every foot of it, from the domes of the roof to the cool green chunam (quicklime) daoes and the carving of the rims of the fountains in the courtyard, was worth studying." Gallery Aerial View of Albert Hall References