Between the Lines

His royal lineage gives Dolea an in-depth understanding of period styles and luxury aesthetics, leading him to curate “The Grand Trunk Show” in Delhi — a display of one-of-a-kind vintage furniture pieces from across the world — in collaboration with Taj Khazana. “You can either love India or hate it; you can’t ignore it. I fell in love with the country,” he says, “You have to move beyond the misery of people here to realise the beauty; in my case, the beauty of fabrics, carpets and woven textiles.” The 40-odd pieces were on display until yesterday at the Taj Palace and the Taj Mahal hotels. These were part of a larger exhibition of 600 pieces that was held at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad last month. “I realised that because of the passion of Indian maharajas for all things European, there are a lot of European influences in the Indian vintage furniture and architecture,” he says.

But that is only half the story. While India was and is fascinated with European art and architecture, Dolea says there are always Indian vintage furniture pieces to pick from in his part of the world – be it Romania or Belgium. The most enduring and charming pieces of Indian interior art to be found in Europe are the massive and bulky gates used by the royalty. “Besides, figurines from Gujarat and Rajasthan are the hottest selling items,” he says.

Although Dolea is returning to Antwerp this week, he will be back for the next leg of The Grand Trunk Show, to be held at The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai next month. About the difference in the art sensibilities between people in Delhi and Mumbai, he says, “While people here want things that are monumental and over-the-top, Mumbai likes to play it safe by keeping it simple and understated. I think the ideal path lies somewhere in-between.”

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