Mughal Rock-Crystal Scent Bottle, Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century AD
Rock-Crystal
height 10 cm
height 4 in
height 4 in
ES.8552
This pear shaped scent bottle has been finely decorated with floral sprays and foliage, incised using diamond drills and small lap wheels. The stopper is in the shape of a...
This pear shaped scent bottle has been finely decorated with floral sprays and foliage, incised using diamond drills and small lap wheels. The stopper is in the shape of a rosette. The decoration of present bottle is a great example of the Mughal fascination for nature, as highlighted by the use of floral motifs in low relief. An example of a rock-crystal bottle of comparable shape and decoration is a Mughal rock-crystal vessel dated to the Seventeenth Century AD is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1993.18), while other examples have been sold at Christie's (see Arts of India, 1 October 2012, lot 180).
The Mughal dynasty was founded in AD 1526 when Babur, a Central Asian Muslim prince, followed the example of his ancestor Timur (d. AD 1405) and invaded the land he knew as Hindustan (the Indian subcontinent). Babur's languages were Turki, in which he wrote his memoirs, and Persian, the language of culture across Iran and Central Asia.
The "golden age" of Mughal art covered the period from about AD 1580 to AD 1650. Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters in the royal workshops. The combination of their different traditions and the technological and cultural transfer between different artisans resulted in a new distinctive style which included elements of all these different cultures.
Floral motifs were probably derived from European engravings, likely seen by the Mughal artists in Netherlandish Biblical prints brought to the court by Jesuits. Animals and plant motifs can also be found in the borders of contemporary paintings and on metalwork, highlighting a fundamental difference between artistic production in the Mughal empire and in Europe: as in Iran, Central Asia and the rest of the subcontinent, no distinction is made between so-called 'fine' and 'decorative' art.
Under the reign of Shah Jahan (AD 1628 – AD 1658), hardstone carving reached its peak, especially using jade and rock-crystal. Vessels, wine cups, boxes and containers were produced with both materials and very often they were set with precious stones in gold.
References: a similar scent bottle can be found in New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1993.18).
The Mughal dynasty was founded in AD 1526 when Babur, a Central Asian Muslim prince, followed the example of his ancestor Timur (d. AD 1405) and invaded the land he knew as Hindustan (the Indian subcontinent). Babur's languages were Turki, in which he wrote his memoirs, and Persian, the language of culture across Iran and Central Asia.
The "golden age" of Mughal art covered the period from about AD 1580 to AD 1650. Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters in the royal workshops. The combination of their different traditions and the technological and cultural transfer between different artisans resulted in a new distinctive style which included elements of all these different cultures.
Floral motifs were probably derived from European engravings, likely seen by the Mughal artists in Netherlandish Biblical prints brought to the court by Jesuits. Animals and plant motifs can also be found in the borders of contemporary paintings and on metalwork, highlighting a fundamental difference between artistic production in the Mughal empire and in Europe: as in Iran, Central Asia and the rest of the subcontinent, no distinction is made between so-called 'fine' and 'decorative' art.
Under the reign of Shah Jahan (AD 1628 – AD 1658), hardstone carving reached its peak, especially using jade and rock-crystal. Vessels, wine cups, boxes and containers were produced with both materials and very often they were set with precious stones in gold.
References: a similar scent bottle can be found in New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1993.18).