The carving here shows it to have been made during a transitional period of Indian jade art. The floral knop and base herald the fully floral style of the eighteenth century. The carving of the motifs around the sides, and particularly the carving of grooves along the various floral motifs, is found at a much earlier period, demonstrated in two intaglios sold in these rooms which were datable to the sixteenth century, in a style originating in Persia. The closest similarity in feeling to this with its heavy globular shape and grooved floral decoration is a small inkpot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, inscribed in the name of Jahangir and dated 1618-19 AD.

Christie's: Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, London 28th April 1992, lots 155 and 157.
Welch, S.C. et al.: India, exhibition catalogue, New York 1985, no.122, p.194