A rare Mughal jade pendant (haldili), India, dated 1051 AH/1641-42 AD

inscriptions

Qur’an, chapter II (al-baqarah), verse 255, 'The Throne Verse' (Ayat al-Kursi) and the date 1051 AH (1641-42 AD)

This refined pendant was engraved during the reign of Shah Jahan (r.1628-58). The clean smooth surface is carved with the Throne Verse and bears the date 1051 AH/1641-42 AD. The reverse is decorated with precious stones set with gold, and its elegance places its use within a royal setting. A jade plaque similarly decorated with a gem-set tree of life motif is published in U.R. Balakrishnan & M. Sushil Kumar, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions in India, Bombay, 2001, p.255, no.414.

The fine nasta'liq calligraphy of the present plaque owes a debt to the Persian tradition which played an important role in the genesis of Mughal art. Despite the technical challenges of carving text into a hardstone, the calligraphy is masterful, even when studied under close magnification. The strength and precision of the execution, as well as the use of high quality white jade, points towards royal patronage at a time when Shah Jahan was at the head of the Mughal Empire.

Very few carved jades are dated to the reign of Shah Jahan. Another jade pendant, also engraved with Ayat al-Kursi and dated 1041 AH/1631-32 AD was sold in these rooms, 18 October 2001, lot 150 (now in the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, inv. no.J.E.85.2002). A further related example, carved and inlaid with gold, with the name of Shah Jahan and the date 1047 AH/1637-38 AD, is now in the al-Sabah collection, Kuwait, inv. no.LNS 120 J, published in Keene 2001, p.32, no.2.4. A further jade pendant featuring the same Qur'an inscription and dated 1006 AH/1597 AD, during the reign of Emperor Akbar, was sold at Christie's London, 10 April 2014, lot 130.