Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum
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Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum is a museum housed within the Maharaja's palace (the Lakshmi Vilas Palace) in Vadodara, India.
[edit] Overview
The building was constructed as a school for the Maharaja's children. Today a large number of works of art belonging to the Royal family have been displayed in the museum. The museum contains the large number of works of art collected by Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III during his numerous visits out of India. The major works of art in this museum are the large number of paintings by European and Indian artists. The most remarkable of these is the fabulous collection of the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, who was specially commissioned by the then Maharaja of Baroda. The collection includes portraits of the Royal family in addition to the paintings based on Hindu mythology for which Raja Ravi Varma was famous.
There is a beautiful collection of sculptures in marble and bronze. These include copies of great masters in bronze commissioned by the Maharaja and also originals by renowned artists. One of the artists commissioned by the Maharaja was an Italian artist Fellicci whose works adorn not only the Museum but also the Lakshmi Vilas Palace. Some of Fellici's works can be seen in the Public Park ( Sayaji Garden also known as Kamati Baug by the locals).
The museum has an oriental gallery which houses Japanese and Chinese sculptures and other works collected by the Maharaja in his visits to these countries.
