Wine cup, exterior incised with floral design and numerous drill holes, engraving to base with inscription in Urdu, rock crystal, Delhi India, 17th to 18th century

A wine cup with a shallow bowl, fashioned to a high standard, from colourless rock crystal and polished. The interior is smooth and the exterior is elaborately decorated with an incised, entwined flower and leaf design. There are numerous shallow drill holes incorporated into the design, intended for setting with gold wire and gems.
There is no foot to the bowl, with the base being slightly concave and bearing a lightly engraved, circular inscription in Urdu, surrounded by leaf designs.

Purchased from the dealer Mr Imre Schwaiger

This object was part of a collection of Indian and Tibetan art objects that was purchased in 1910 from Mr. Imre Schwaiger, a well-known London and Delhi based dealer. The whole collection was bought for £1000.
Imre Leonard Schwaiger was a well-respected dealer of gems, jewellery and eastern works of art. He was of Hungarian descent and, as a young man, he travelled to India where he became an expert in appraising them, later becoming the foremost dealer and agent in such objects.
He built up a list of important clients and he 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 Delhi 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.

Purchased from the dealer Mr Imre Schwaiger, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, and 25, Brook Street, London W. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

RP 1910- 3039M

This wine cup was made within the Mughal empire, probably in the 18th century, and illustrates the considerable skill of lapidaries in India. It has been carved from a single crystal of clear, colourless quartz. The surfaces are polished, carved, and engraved with recesses that would have been set with gems and gold, finished examples of which may be found elsewhere in the collection.

IM.169-1910