#the mughals

[memories-of-ancients]

Emerald ring, Mughal empire, 16th-17th century

from Christies

[kaalbela]

Interiors of Amer Fort in Jaipur, India depicting murals with a flowering plant motif.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Emerald Spectacles from India, c. 1620-1660 CE: the lenses of these spectacles were cut from a single 300-carat emerald, and it was believed that they possessed mystical properties

These eyeglasses are also known by the name "Astaneh-e ferdaws," meaning "Gate of Paradise," based on the symbolic associations between the color green and the concept of spiritual salvation/Paradise. That symbolism (which is rooted in Islamic tradition) was especially popular in Mughal-era India, where the spectacles were made.

The lenses were crafted from two thin slices of the same emerald. Together, the lenses have a combined weight of about 27 carats, but given the precision, size, and shape of each lens, experts believe that the original emerald likely weighed in excess of 300 carats (more than sixty grams) before it was cleaved down in order to produce the lenses. The emerald was sourced from a mine in Muzo, Colombia, and it was then transported across the Atlantic by Spanish or Portuguese merchants.

Each lens is encircled by a series of rose-cut diamonds, which run along an ornate frame made of gold and silver. The diamond-studded frame was added in the 1890s, when the original prince-nez design was fitted with more modern frames.

The emerald eyeglasses have long been paired with a second set of spectacles, and they were almost certainly commissioned by the same patron. This second pair is known as "Halqeh-e nur," or the "Halo of Light."

The Halo of Light features lenses that were made from slices of diamond. The diamond lenses were cleaved from a single stone, just like the emerald lenses, with the diamond itself being sourced from a mine in Southern India. It's estimated that the original, uncut diamond would have weighed about 200-300 carats, which would make it one of the largest uncut diamonds ever found.

The lenses are so clear and so smoothly cut that it sometimes looks like they're not even there.

Both sets of spectacles date back to the mid-1600s, and it's generally believed that they were commissioned by a Mughal emperor or prince. The identity of that person is still a bit of a mystery, but it has been widely speculated that the patron was Shah Jahan -- the Mughal ruler who famously commissioned the Taj Mahal after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan did rule as the Mughal emperor from about 1628 to 1658.

The emerald and diamond lenses may have been chosen for symbolic, sentimental, and/or cultural reasons, or they may have been chosen simply because they're pretty and extravagant; the original meaning and purpose behind the design is still unclear. Experts do believe that the eyeglasses were designed to be worn by someone, though.

At times, it was believed that the spectacles had spiritual properties, like the ability to promote healing, to ward off evil, to impart wisdom, and to bring the wearer closer to enlightenment. Those beliefs are largely based on the spiritual significance that emeralds and diamonds can have within certain Indic and Islamic traditions -- emeralds may be viewed as an emblem of Paradise, salvation, healing, cleansing, and eternal life, while diamonds are similarly associated with enlightenment, wisdom, celestial light, and mysticism.

The Gate of Paradise and the Halo of Light were both kept in the collections of a wealthy Indian family until 1980, when they were sold to private collectors, and they were then put up for auction once again in 2021. They were most recently valued at about $2 million to $3.4 million per pair.

Sources & More Info:

Sotheby's: Mughal Spectacles

Architectural Digest of India: At Sotheby's auction, Mughal-era eyeglasses made of diamond and emerald create a stir

Only Natural Diamonds: Auspicious Sight & the Halqeh-e Nur Spectacles

The Royal Society Publishing: Cleaving the Halqeh-Ye Nur Diamonds

Gemological Institution of America: Two Antique Mughal Spectacles with Gemstone Lenses

Manuscript: From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: emeralds in myth, magic, and history

CNN: The $3.5 million Spectacles Said to Ward off Evil

BBC: Rare Mughal Era Spectacles to be Auctioned by Sotheby's

[arthistoryanimalia]

#WatercolorWednesday:

Portrait of a Ladakhi Mountain Goat [Changthangi*]

India, Mughal dynasty, c.1601-25

Opaque watercolor, ink, gold on paper

37.9 × 25.6 cm (14 7/8 × 10 1/8 in.)

The Art Institute of Chicago 1919.944: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/76868/portrait-of-a-ladakhi-mountain-goat

🆔 “The Changthangi [aka Changpa, Ladakh Pashmina, Kashmiri] is a breed of cashmere goat native to the high plateaus of Ladakh in northern India. It is closely associated with the nomadic Changpa people of the Changthang plateau….The intense cold of the region causes the goats to grow a thick undercoat, which is harvested to produce the fine pashmina grade of cashmere.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changtha

#IndianArt #SouthAsianArt

[paletapessoal]

Embroidered coat, Mughal Indian, ca.1620–25. Victoria and Albert Museum, London

[wanderinggoddess]

Arun, in Mughal Era dress

(i had fun researching the fashion history so im gonna include a bit of info under the cut for anyone interested!)

First, Armand is dressed more typically for the upper class or royalty, but I wanted to paint him all dolled up. This would have been somewhat typical dress for Mughal Empire (roughly the 16th-18th centuries) royalty. Men of all classes would typically wear the Jama (the overcoat). I depicted this one as made of Dhaka Muslin, one of the finest and rarest fabrics produced from the Dhaka region. The technique has since been lost, but at the time was incredibly sought after. So much so that during the British colonizers would take the artisans and materials and force them into reproducing the fabric for little to know compensation. Dhaka Muslin was so fine that it was practically transparent, and was worn by members of the upperclass across the world. I read somewhere that it was used to dress statues of greek goddesses. Another little detail is that Armand's Jama is fastened to the right, typical of a Muslim man, rather than to the left (a Hindu man).

I based this loosely off of Caravaggio's Bachus and Depictions of Prince Salim.

All the info I got was from these three youtube videos, so it's not like any serious research!

[artifacts-archive]

Dagger with Scabbard

Indian, Mughal 1605–27

The hilt of the dagger is constructed of heavy sections of gold over an iron core and its scabbard mounts are of solid gold. All the intricately engraved surfaces are set with gems and colored glass finely cut with floral forms. The designs closely parallel those in Mughal painting of the early seventeenth century, suggesting the dagger dates from the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605–27), whose deep love of nature, especially flowers, is well documented in his memoirs, the "Tuzuk." The blade is forged of watered steel.

[artist-ellen]

All the Historical Mermay’s together!

I had a lot of fun with this mermay prompt list by chloe.z.arts and they turned into a pretty cool collection of illustrations!

Prompt list by chloe.z.arts on instagram.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram.com/ellenartistic or tiktok: @ellenartistic

[thatsbutterbaby]

A girl luring quicksilver from a mine by her beauty. India, Mughal dynasty,mid-18th century. Opaque watercolour on paper.

[memories-of-ancients]

Gilt silver rosewater sprinkler, Mughal Empire, 17th century

from The Brooklyn Museum

[armthearmour]

A composite mail and plate armor, South India, 16th-17th century, from Olympia Auction House.

[mapsontheweb]

The Mughal and Safavid empires, largest extent in the 17th century

[arthistoryanimalia]

#InternationalVultureAwarenessDay:

Ustād Manṣūr (India, active 1590-1624)

Red-Headed Vulture and Long-Billed Vulture, c. 1615–20

Mughal, Jahāngīr Studio

folio from the Shah Jahan Album

ink, opaque watercolor, & gold on paper

39.1 x 25.6 cm (15 3/8 x 10 1/16 in)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 55.121.10.12 verso: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451260

[unbfacts]

[pentosesuga]

my fav trashy romcom, jodha akbar (2008) <3

[god-offical]

I have determined that amid popular request, Temujin, the Khan of Khans shall not be permitted into heaven, because if he was then he would reform the mongol empire up here and really mess up my day

It’ll be Satan’s problem instead of mine