Circular wine cup, later gilt metal mounts, green nephrite jade with dark green patches and dark grey to black inclusions, Tibet

A circular cup fashioned in green nephrite jade with dark green patches and dark grey to black inclusions. The cup has a slightly flared rim and a short, recessed foot with a thick rim. The cup itself is unadorned but it is set in gilt metal mounts consisting of a collar around the rim and another around the foot, with three bands joining the two collars on the inside and a further three on the outside which are also aligned with those on the inside. The bands have geometric embossed decoration with ornate scrolls at the top of each. The internal bands meet at a central circular band around the bottom of the cup and within which resides a curled up, mythical dragon, pierced and formed in deep relief, also fashioned in gilt metal.

Purchased from the dealer Imre Schwaiger, Esq., 39, Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, W

This cup was bought together from Mr. Imre Schwaiger for the sum of £20-0-0, in 1913.

Imre Leonard Schwaiger was a well-respected dealer in gems, jewellery and eastern works of art. He was of Hungarian descent and, as a young man, he travelled to India where he became expert in appraising them, later becoming the foremost dealer and agent in such objects.
He built up a list of important clients and was friends with Jacques Cartier, looking after Cartier's interests in Delhi and acting as the company's agent in the purchase of gems, jewellery and objets d'art. Schwaiger was also responsible for introducing Cartier to all of the maharajas and other royals during his visit to India for the Dehi Durbar in 1911.
Imre Schwaiger developed a close working relationship with both the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum, assisting them with a number of acquisitions. He also generously donated a number of valuable objects to both institutions.

This cup has been fashioned from a single piece of nephrite jade, which is a hard and durable material that requires patience and skill to work. Although it is a hard material, when it has been worked to give fine edges or thicknesses, it can be prone to damage by sharp impacts or significant and rapid changes in temperature. The cup is believed to be Tibetan in origin with later gilt metal mounts. It was bought from the leading dealer Imre Schwaiger in 1913.

IM.173-1913