MUGHAL INDIA, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

A remarkable group of Indian relief carved emeralds survive from the late 16th century onwards. A number of them are in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait. The present lot relates to the most important of these, a large hexagonal stone, now lost, carved with an asymmetrical design of swaying palms which has been dated to the late 16th century on the basis on comparison to architectural designs at Fatepur Sikri (Keane, Manuel and Kaoukji, Salam: Treasury of the World, exhitibion catalogue, London 2001, no. 9.1, pp.110-111 (LNS 28 HS))
The present lot is probably of slightly later date, but the naturalistic treatment of the plant suggest a date in the first quarter of the 17th century.