Shah Jahan's Thumb Ring
1632 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Thumb rings of this type were originally used in archery as a way of releasing the bowstring accurately without injuring the hand. This example belonged to the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. It has a Persian inscription giving the title ‘Second Lord of the Conjunction’, the date 1042AH (1632 AD) and the number 5, indicating the regnal year. This title was adopted by Shah Jahan, following his famous ancestor, the Central Asian ruler, Timur-i Leng, who styled himself ‘Lord of the Conjunction’. This was the age-old formula for rulers of lands under Iranian influence and refers to the conjunction of the sun and the crescent moon. Similar thumb rings may be seen in contemporary portraits worn by Shah Jahan and his sons. They often also had two or three attached to their belts, or patkas, by silk threads as emblems of royalty.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | White nephrite jade and gold |
| Brief description | Thumb ring, jade, Mughal court, dated 1042 regnal year 5, which converts to 1632 AD |
| Physical description | Thumb ring, white nephrite jade, inlaid with gold ownership inscription of Shah Jahan. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | saheb-i qiran-i sani 1042
5 (The inscription is in Persian and includes the hijra date, 1042 (19 July 1632-7 July 1633) and the number 5, indicating the regnal year (25 December 1631-13 December 1632). Therefore the date falls between 19 July and 13 December 1632.)
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | This ring forms part of a collection of 760 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-87). Among them were two Mughal jade thumbrings, this one and 1022-1871. Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899. |
| Production | Probably Delhi, Agra or Lahore. The Mughal empire straddled territory in both the modern states of India and Pakistan, which were created as separate entities in 1947. The object may have been made in either of these regions. Dated 1042AH/1632 in the Persian inscription giving the emperor's title. |
| Summary | Thumb rings of this type were originally used in archery as a way of releasing the bowstring accurately without injuring the hand. This example belonged to the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. It has a Persian inscription giving the title ‘Second Lord of the Conjunction’, the date 1042AH (1632 AD) and the number 5, indicating the regnal year. This title was adopted by Shah Jahan, following his famous ancestor, the Central Asian ruler, Timur-i Leng, who styled himself ‘Lord of the Conjunction’. This was the age-old formula for rulers of lands under Iranian influence and refers to the conjunction of the sun and the crescent moon. Similar thumb rings may be seen in contemporary portraits worn by Shah Jahan and his sons. They often also had two or three attached to their belts, or patkas, by silk threads as emblems of royalty. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1023-1871 |
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| Record created | March 5, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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