Lot 113
113
A HARDSTONE CHAUPUR SET WITH ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET GOLD DICE
A HARDSTONE CHAUPUR SET WITH ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET GOLD DICE
A HARDSTONE CHAUPUR SET WITH ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET GOLD DICE
2 More
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION
A HARDSTONE CHAUPUR SET WITH ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET GOLD DICE

NORTH INDIA, THE DICE EARLY TO MID 18TH CENTURY (THE GAME PIECES 20TH CENTURY)

Details
A HARDSTONE CHAUPUR SET WITH ENAMELLED AND GEM-SET GOLD DICE
NORTH INDIA, THE DICE EARLY TO MID 18TH CENTURY (THE GAME PIECES 20TH CENTURY)
The set comprising of three dice and sixteen game pieces, the dice inlaid with diamonds in gold with polychrome enamelled floral designs, the game pieces carved from agate, chalcedony, yellow chalcedony and jasper, with two pairs of circles inscribed at tip and base
Dice 2 ¾in. (6.9cm.) long; pieces 5/8in. (1.6cm.) high
Provenance
Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence, Chrsitie's New York, 19 June 2019, lot 348
Literature
Amin Jaffer, Jewels of the Mughal Emperors and Maharajas: Treasures from the Al Thani Collection, Miho Museum, 2016, p.60, no.33
Amin Jaffer and Amina Okada, From the Great Mughals to the Maharajas: Jewels from the Al Thani Collection, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, 2017, p.205, no.155
Amin Jaffer, Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas, Milan, 2017, p.218, no.149
Amin Jaffer, B. Haikun, W. Yuegong, Treasures from the Al Thani Collection: Gems and Jewels of India, Beijing, 2018, pp.240-41, no.153
Exhibited
Jewels of the Mughal Emperors and Maharajas: Treasures from the Al Thani Collection, Miho Museum, Japan, 01 October 2016 - 11 December 2016.
Des Grands Moghols aux Maharajahs Joyaux de la Collection Al Thani, Grand Palais, Paris, 29 March 2017 - 05 May 2017.
Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 09 September 2017 - 03 January 2018.
Masterpieces from the Al Thani Collection: Gems and Jewels of India, Palace Museum, Beijing, 17 April 2018 - 18 August 2018.

Brought to you by

Phoebe Jowett Smith
Phoebe Jowett Smith Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

+44 20 7752 3221

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

Sign in
View condition report

Lot Essay

The game of chaupar goes back to at least the 16th century and Abu'l-Fazl noted that Akbar even used the game as a means of testing the talents of a man (The A'in-i Akbari, tr. Blochmann, volume I, Calcutta, 1927, p.316). The game is played on a cross-shaped board, usually made from wood or cloth, with four players each having four pieces. The aim is to move all four pieces around the board in an anti-clockwise direction decided by the throwing of three dice. A set of 16 gem-set and enamelled gold gaming pieces comparable to our dice are in the Khalili Collection (JLY 1129; Pedro Moura Carvalho, Gems and Jewels of Mughal India, London, 2010, no.28, p.83).

More from Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets

View All
View All