Vase, two-handled, white nephrite jade, inset with rubies and emeralds in gold, Mughal empire, possibly Lahore, probably 19th century

A round vase fashioned in pale creamy white nephrite jade, with a bulbous lower body giving it a pear-like profile but rising and narrowing gently to a wide, slightly flared neck. There are two opposing handles, each pierced and carved in the form of a flower with two leaves and a stem, with each flower being set with an emerald cabochon. It has a short, slightly flared foot that has been carved in the form of a four-petalled flower, on whose forward-curled petal-tips the vase stands. The interior of the vase is smooth and lightly polished and the exterior has a chain of pendant flowers around the rim and a band of leaves rising from around the foot. The bulk of the body has been recessed and then inset with gold wire, 128 rubies and 44 emeralds, in an elaborate floral design. The stones have been set in reflective, closed-back mounts, some or all of which may also have been coloured - certainly the lesser emeralds - and which have since deteriorated with subsequent loss of colour. There are very minor chips to the rim and some of the petals on the handles' flowers have been broken off and lost. There are also small areas where some of the inlaid gold wire has been lost.

Bought for the sum of £20-0-0 from the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Although the date of manufacture is unclear, this vase was acquired from the Great Exhibition of 1851 as a piece made in Lahore. It was probably therefore made in the 1840s. The material is nephrite jade, set with rubies and emeralds in gold. It has been expertly fashioned and demonstrates that the skills of craftsmen developed within the Mughal court workshops from the early 17th century continued in this late period. The body has been made from a single piece of nephrite jade, a hard and durable material that requires patience and skill to work, especially when the process requires hollowing out vessels or creating cavities in order to set stones, as here. The body also has decoration in low relief.

1625-1852