A Magnificent Mughal Jade Pendant (Haldili) with the Throne Verse (Ayat Al-Kursi) from the Qur’an

Project Details

A Magnificent Mughal Jade Pendant (Haldili) with the Throne Verse (Ayat Al-Kursi) from the Qur’an

Mughal India
Hight: 5 cm.
Width 6 cm.
Jade dated 1051 A.H. / 1641 C.E. Produced during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658)
The Gold Frame with Set-Jewels: 19^th Century

Of oval form with suspension loop to the upper edge, in openwork gold mount, the front engraved with an extremely fine, imperial quality nasta’liq inscription, the back inlaid with diamonds, emeralds and rubies in kundan setting forming a floral spray enclosed within a border of square panels, alternate squares set with rubies. The gold frame and gem-set decoration on the back was executed in the 19th Century.

The pendeant has the Throne Verse (Ayat al-Kursi) from the Qur’an (2:255) on the front.

The fine nasta’liq calligraphy of the present plaque owes a debt to the Persian tradition which played an important role in the genesis of Mughal art. Despite the technical challenges of carving text into a hardstone, the calligraphy is absolutely masterful, even when studied under close magnification. The strength and precision of the execution, as well as the use of high-quality white jade, points towards royal patronage at a time when Shah Jahan was at the head of the Mughal Empire.

A comparable Mughal jade pendant with the Throne Verse, dated 1006 A.H. / 1597 A.D., was sold at Christie’s London, in 10 April 2014, for £290,500.

The Mughal Emperors and members of the palace circle inherited the Timurid rulers’ love of jade, and quickly developed their own jade carving craft on the foundations of the hardstone sculpting artistic tradition already firmly established in India. The early Mughal jade carvings were relatively plain but the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his son, the fifth Emperor Shah Jahan, under whom the present piece was produced, were great patrons of jade carving. For further information please see, Teng Shu-ping et al, Treasures from Across the Kunlun Mountains: Islamic Jades in the National Palace Museum Collection, National Palace Museum Taiwan, Taipei, 2008, p. 85. A jade plaque similarly decorated with a gem-set motif is published in U.R. Balakrishnan & M. Sushil Kumar, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions in India, Bombay, 2001, p.255, no.414.

The set-jewels on the reverse of this jade pendant depict spring flowers in a vase. ‘Flowers in a vase’ is an important motif widely used in Islamic and Indian art. In Indian culture, flowers were a constant part of daily life, grown in gardens everywhere, from palaces to humble homes. Flowers were blessed reminders of the gardens of heaven. Foreign travellers and ambassadors who visited the Mughal Empire frequently remarked about this love of flowers. For further information about ‘Flowers in baskets or vases’ motifs please see, Motif from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection (written by Turgut Saner, Şebnem Eryavuz and Hülya Bilgi), Sadberk Hanım Museum, Istanbul, 2020, pp. 110-111.

For pendants with the Throne Verse in the British Museum, please see Venetia Porter, Arabic and Persian Seals and Amulets in the British Museum, The British Museum, London, 2011, pp. 164-165.

This wonderful pendant, dated AH 1051 / AD 1641-42, is an extremely rare jade of imperial quality, produced during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658).

Categories: Metalwork & Woodwork
Credits: Ex-Private English Collection, London.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

A Magnificent Mughal Jade Pendant (Haldili) with the Throne Verse (Ayat Al-Kursi) from the Qur’an

Enquiries