Box and cover, rock crystal with floral decoration carved in relief, Mughal, second half of 18th century

The shallow oval box and cover is made of very clear rock crystal. The decoration is therefore conceived to show this, and is confined to the sides, except for four leaves, simply carved in low relief, on the bottom of the box and a collar of petals carved on the lid at the base of a projecting flower bud finial. The sides of both box and cover are carved with flows on scrolling lines. At each narrow end of the box, a floret is contained within fine lines in the form of an arch. The lines continue above and curl round the narrow line framing the border decoration.
There is a large chip missing from the inner rim of the box and there is a cluster of fractures in the cover at the edge, however there is no loss of material.

Wells Bequest

In 1875, this box and cover were bought from the Guthrie Collection by Mr. Arthur Wells, who was considered to be the first private British collector of Chinese jade. His collection of jade and other hardstone objects from South Asia was on exhibition at the South Kensington Museum at the time of his death in 1882 and this collection was left to the museum in his will - the Wells Bequest.

This rock crystal covered box was made in India, probably in the 18th century. It was acquired in India by the renowned collector of Indian hardstones, Colonel Charles Seton Guthrie, and sold at auction in London in 1875. Another collector, Arthur Wells, bought the box from the sale and bequeathed it to this museum.

1666&A-1882