A one-handled drinking vessel, rounded with foliate decoration in relief, rock crystal, Mughal, Delhi or Agra, India, 18th century

A wide-necked drinking vessel of globular form, with a single scroll handle and standing on a short, flared foot with a concave recess. Fashioned in rock crystal of indeterminate hue due to the colour imparted by dirt or natural staining ingrained into the poorly polished surfaces.
The interior is smooth but with a frosted finish and the exterior is decorated with plain, vertical panels, separated by thin, raised borders and leaf motifs to the top and bottom. Above and below these panels, just below the neck and above the foot, are single, continuous bands of scrolling foliage - all carved in relief. The short neck has an equally-spaced series of five divergent, engraved, curved lines emanating from the rim. The handle is engraved with lines resembling the ribs of a leaf. The exterior of the vessel has areas that either has a poor polish or is somewhat frosted/unpolished.
Apart from natural flaws and inclusions, there is a minor chip and a small crack to the foot rim as well as a major crack running down the vessel wall, starting from the rim.

Purchased from Imre Schwaiger Esq, 39 Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, W.1

This drinking vessel was said on acquisition to have been made in Delhi in the 17th century, probably by Imperial craftsmen. It is more likely to date from the 18th century, and to have been made in Delhi or Agra, traditional centres of hardstone production. It was bought from Mr. Imre Schwaiger in 1922 for the sum of £50-0-0.
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
acquisitions. He also donated a number of valuable objects to both institutions.


Purchased from Imre Schwaiger Esq, 39 Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, W.1. 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.

R.P. 1920-7059

This drinking vessel clearly shows the skill of the craftsmen who were working during the Mughal Empire. It was bought from the Hungarian, Delhi-based dealer Imre Schwaiger who stated that it had been made in Delhi. The vessel has been hollowed out and carved from a single crystal of clear quartz. Although rock crystal is a common mineral, it is not often that crystals of sufficient size and clarity are available to produce vessels like this. Also, it is a hard and durable material which, combined with the relatively basic tools and abrasives available at the time, would have made the fashioning process a very time-consuming and difficult one. Even using modern tools and abrasives, producing a similar object today would be beyond a majority of competent lapidaries.
Despite being a hard material, quartz can be vulnerable to thermal and physical shock and is liable to fracture if it is subjected to impacts or a rapid and significant change in temperature. It is probable that this vessel would have been used to hold only cold to moderately warm liquids, most probably wine.

IM.151-1922