SHAH JAHAN CUP jade india history BOOK

Size = 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall

When the Museum acquired Shah Jahan's jade cup in 1962 it was not known that it had been shown with the V&A's Indian Collections over a century ago as part of the collection loaned by Col. C. S. Guthrie. Since then, however, the cup has gained world renown as an outstanding example of jade craftsmanship from any civilisation and it is certainly one of the most exquisite surviving objects from the court of India's most famous dynasty.

The milky white jade itself is of seductive appearance and owes its sensuous effect to the subtle modelling of the thin lobed walls.These echo the shape of a fresh gourd but are transformed into a free asymmetrical form that tapers to a handle shaped as the head of a wild goat. This expressive head derives a mysterious ambiguity from the contrast between its realistic detail and the unreality of its opalescent surface. The ambiguity is heightened by its strange fusion with the vegetal elements of the design.

To complete the cup there is a low pedestal of fleshy lotus petals, from which acanthus leaves radiate in low relief. If the surface of the stone, as lustrous as pearl, deceives the eye with an illusion of wax-like softness, one must remember that jade is in fact too hard to be scratched by steel. Thus the tactile impression that so insistently demands the attentions of the hand results as much from the craftsman's skill as from the precious but intransigent material at his disposal.

Shah Jahan was descended from the Amir Timur, a ruthless Central Asian conqueror, who swept across the Middle East and India during the 14th century. Timur's fame was such that far away in England he was celebrated in Marlowe's play Tamburlaine, two centuries after his lifetime, and he still formed a favourite subject for opera in Handel's day and of Pollock's Toy Theatre as late as the 19th century. Timur attributed his success to the good fortune of birth under two favourable planets and claimed the title `Lord of the (auspicious) Conjunction'. His descendant, Shah Jahan, proud of his lineage and power, liked to be known as `The Second Lord of the Conjunction' and we find this title engraved in a small cartouche on the side of his jade cup, together with the date 1067 of the Muslim era (1657 AD) and the regnal year 31. This was, therefore, the date at the very end of Shah Jahan's reign when the jade cup entered the imperial treasury.

Softcover. NOT ex-library.

Weight = 500 g

BOOK CONDITION = VERY GOOD

NEW: This book has been designated by the seller as brand new.

FINE: No defects, little usage. Older books may show minor flaws.

VERY GOOD: Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive.

GOOD: Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets.

FAIR: Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability.

POOR: All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category.