NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Details

A GEM-SET CARVED JADE MIRROR AND ORIGINAL IVORY CASE
NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH CENTURY
The back of the mirror decorated with floral designs, the back, handle and top inlaid with rubies and white stones set in gold, the ivory case heavily worked with floral motifs
8 x 4 ½in. (20 x 11.5cm.) including case

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

The green jade case of this mirror is carved with elegant symmetrical flowering plants accented with inset diamonds. Jade working is an exceptionally time-consuming process that requires a great deal of skill due to the hard and brittle nature of the stone. Highly skilled artisans of the Mughal Empire carved works like this example from jade that they then inset with precious gems. These objects, decorated with floral motifs favoured by the Mughal elite, were often exchanged as gifts and portrayed in use in contemporaneous Mughal miniatures. This mirror is complete with a finely carved ivory case decorated with dense floral designs that echo the jade carving of the mirror. A comparable carved jade Mughal mirror of a slightly earlier date sold at Christie’s, New York, 19 June 2019, lot 370.

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