8vo. xvi, 344pp. With 90 engraved plates and a coloured engraved folding map. Original publisher's dark brown cloth, stamped in gilt and blind. A trifle rubbed. Hinges exposed, ink stamp of the Birmingham Assay Office to recto of half-title.

A comprehensive and authoritative volume on the art manufacturers of India compiled by Sir George Christopher Molesworth Birdwood (1832-1917), art referee for the Indian section of the South Kensington Museum. The book commences with a detailed examination of the Hindu pantheon and the antiquity of Indian art, before treating on the master handicrafts of India, including jewellery, furniture and household decoration, paintings, and musical instruments.

The Birmingham Assay Office, one of the four assay offices in the United Kingdom, was founded in 1773 and to this day remains responsible for testing the purity of precious metals and issuing hallmarks of certification.