NORTH INDIA, SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY

Gold objects from Mughal India that have survived until today are extremely rare. Many were melted down and re-used in jewellery and other decorative objects. The elegant sprays of our bottle find similarity with the intricacy and sophistication of north Indian, and especially Rajasthani turban ornaments and with the floral gold-inlaid patterns found on jade works. The floral composition of our bottle can be understood as a more ebullient take on the pervasive floral motifs found in classical Mughal art of the 17th century. A gold huqqa base with similar repoussé floral decoration attributed to the Deccan or Western India in the al-Sabah Collection (Manuel Keene, Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals, exhibition catalogue, London, 2001, no. 3.2, p. 45). A rare gold calligrapher’s tool case decorated in a related style sold at Christie’s, London, 10 October 2013, lot 213.