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| Maharaja of Patiala's 1,400-piece dinner set sells for $3m | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A dinner set commissioned by the former Maharaja of Patiala has been sold at auction for $3m (£1.9m). | A dinner set commissioned by the former Maharaja of Patiala has been sold at auction for $3m (£1.9m). |
| The set was purchased by an anonymous collector, Christie's in London said. | The set was purchased by an anonymous collector, Christie's in London said. |
| The set weighs nearly 500kg (1,100lb). Every single piece in the magnificent 1,400-piece silver-gilt set has elaborate decorations. | The set weighs nearly 500kg (1,100lb). Every single piece in the magnificent 1,400-piece silver-gilt set has elaborate decorations. |
| The dining set was commissioned by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1922 for a visit to Patiala by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII. | The dining set was commissioned by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1922 for a visit to Patiala by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII. |
| Each piece comes with "a scroll and foliage border above cast and chased panels of animals, separated by cast daggers, variously engraved or cast with coat-of-arms, crown and initials" and was sold as part of the auction house's "Exceptional Sale", Christie's said in a statement to the BBC. | |
| The gold-plated silver dinner service was ordered from London to honour the three-day royal visit which culminated in a magnificent banquet on 24 February 1922, the auction house said. | |
| Patiala, which is in the Indian state of Punjab, was among the wealthiest princely states of British India. | |
| The exquisite banqueting service gives an insight into the maharaja's colourful and lavish lifestyle. | The exquisite banqueting service gives an insight into the maharaja's colourful and lavish lifestyle. |
| He was the first Indian to own an aircraft and was also an avid and early motorcar enthusiast who owned and travelled in a motorcade of up to 20 Rolls Royce cars. | He was the first Indian to own an aircraft and was also an avid and early motorcar enthusiast who owned and travelled in a motorcade of up to 20 Rolls Royce cars. |
| The maharaja was also the captain of the Indian cricket team. | The maharaja was also the captain of the Indian cricket team. |
| Historians say he married many times and took in many lovers and sired dozens of children. |