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"Treasury of the World"

Highlights of The al-Sabah Collection

Explore The Jeweled Arts of India


Upper Armband (Bazuband)
Upper Armband (Bazuband)
LNS 2190 J
Fabricated from gold; worked in kundan technique and set with rubies, emeralds, diamonds and yellow sapphires; engraved and chiseled; interior of plain gold sheet
Height 33 mm; width 67 m
India, probably Mughal, c. 3rd-4th decade 17th century Ad
Photography by Bruce M. White

Gemstones on Gold Floral Ground

The pieces gathered in this section of the exhibition represent an unusually important group within the corpus of Mughal jewelry. The most characteristic and finest among them can be connected with certainty to Mughal royal ateliers in the first half of the 17th century, the pinnacle of Mughal art. Representations in paintings, the features of the pieces themselves, and other evidence suggest that the best and most classic objects in the group were produced from about 1600 to 1635 or 1640.

The characteristic features of these pieces are the flush-set pattern-defining precious stones in an extensive field of gold, finely engraved in floral and foliate compositions. This armband is typical in technique and general style but is unusual for its Hindu subject matter; even the engraving of the ground is unique for its rich fauna in addition to the usual flora.

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