Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
Lot 224
A Mughal gem-set gold-mounted jade Mirror
Northern India, 18th Century
24 April 2012, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street£40,000 - £60,000
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A Mughal gem-set gold-mounted jade Mirror
Northern India, 18th Century
Northern India, 18th Century
oval, the top with a carved knop in the form of a bud, the base with short handle in the form of a three leaf acanthus stem, the back carved in relief with a central medallion containing a flowering plant, within a band of flowering vine, the terminal set with a cabochon ruby, the front with bevelled mirror glass, within a gold band set with rubies and emeralds, the outer edge carved with a chevron design, in a fitted case
21.6 x 13.8 cm.
21.6 x 13.8 cm.
Footnotes
Provenance: formerly in a Danish royal collection.
The most striking and unique contribution of Mughal lapidaries to jade craftsmanship was probably the use of gold and brightly coloured gem-stones, all of which served to exhibit the lavishness of Mughal nobility for which India was renowned.
A group of Mughal mirrors attributed to the 17th Century can be found in the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad (Nigam, M.L., Jade Collection in the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, 1979, figs. 4-8); fig. 6 bears the closest resemblance to the current lot, sharing a similar flowering plant, finial and handle.
The naturalistic treatment of the flowers draws comparison with the designs found on architectural panels of the 17th Century, in particular the Red Fort, the Diwan i-Khas and other buildings of Shah Jahan's period. The chevron band also appears on Mughal buildings of this era. Parallels can also be found on bidri ware from the Deccan.