This little box, which measures 4×5 cm comes from about 1635. It was crafted in India and is now in the Khalili Collection, London.

This little box, which measures 4×5 cm comes from about 1635. It was crafted in India and is now in the Khalili Collection, London

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Made of gold sheet, the sides and top are set with 103 carved Colombian emeralds that are perfectly joined edge to edge to create a seamless feeling surface. The motif used is of cypress trees. The bottom of the box is engraved and then covered with green enamel.The extraordinary level of workmanship suggests that this was from the highest levels of Mughal court life.Here is a bit of information from the Khalili Collection about this piece: ”The decoration suggests European influence, which presumably came into Mughal court art during the first half of the 17th century with the European craftsmen in the service of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It is possible that the designs were influenced by engravings from the studio of Bernard Salomon who worked at Lyons in the mid-16th century.”