Wine Cup thumbnail 1
Wine Cup thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asia Gallery, Room 41

Wine Cup

ca. 1650-1658 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Mughal empire (made)

This wine cup of pure white nephrite jade must have been made at the court of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Its naturalistic shape resembling a halved gourd resembles that of the famous cup incised with the emperor's titles dated to the equivalent of 1657, also in the V&A (IS.12-1962) and the quality and style of the floral decoration are all consistent with other pieces made during his reign.
The cup came from the collection of Colonel Charles Seton Guthrie, much of which was bought by the Indian Museum in 1868, and was transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879.


Object details

Categories
Drinking
India Museum
Hardstone
Object type
Wine cup
Materials and techniques
White nephrite jade
Jade
Brief description
White nephrite jade, Mughal. Period of Shah Jahan, probably c. 1650-57
Physical description
The cup is of asymmetrical lobed form resembling a halved gourd. Its five tapering lobes converge towards the spiral stem that forms the cup's handle. Five acanthus leaves run from the base, one curling outwards to form a minute volute projecting from the side of the cup in an echo of the shape of the handle. The base is in the form of a lotus blossom in high relief, with a stem emerging from behind the acanthus leaves, and two narcissus flowers.
Dimensions
  • Length: 13.3cm
  • Width: 8.2cm
Style
Mughal Court
Gallery label
JADE CUP: White nephrite jade, carved, Mughal. Period of Shah Jahan (1628-58)(Nehru Gallery, 2001)
Object history
From the collection of Colonel Guthrie.
Summary
This wine cup of pure white nephrite jade must have been made at the court of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Its naturalistic shape resembling a halved gourd resembles that of the famous cup incised with the emperor's titles dated to the equivalent of 1657, also in the V&A (IS.12-1962) and the quality and style of the floral decoration are all consistent with other pieces made during his reign.
The cup came from the collection of Colonel Charles Seton Guthrie, much of which was bought by the Indian Museum in 1868, and was transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879.
Bibliographic references
  • The Indian Heritage. Court life and Arts under Mughal Rule London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982 Number: ISBN 0 906969 26 3 p. 118, cat. no. 357. Rosemary Crill
  • Susan Stronge, 'Colonel Guthrie's collection', Oriental Art, vol. XXXIX, 1993-4, No. 4, fig. 4, p. 7.
  • The art of India and Pakistan, a commemorative catalogue of the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1947-8. Edited by Sir Leigh Ashton. London: Faber and Faber, [1950] p. 227, cat. no. 1139
  • The Indian Heritage. Court life and Arts under Mughal Rule London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982 Number: ISBN 0 906969 26 3
  • Stronge, S. Made for Mughal Emperors. Royal Treasures from Hindustan. London and New York, 2010 p. 215, pl. 177
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
02561 (IS)

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Record createdJune 19, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156929/wine-cup-unknown/
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