Special Exhibitions
Jeweled Arts of India
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Special Exhibitions |
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Jeweled Arts of India |
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Developments in Enamels One of the most distinctive features of the jewelry arts of the Indian subcontinent in the Mughal and subsequent periods (16th to 19th centuries) is the lavish use of enameling. Yet, neither India nor neighboring lands (notably Afghanistan and Iran) had preexisting traditions in this art; it was introduced to the Indian subcontinent from Europe in the 16th century.Considerable numbers of European jewelers were employed in India during the Mughal period, and they were the vehicle for the transfer of European jewelry arts traditions, including enameling, to India. This phenomenon occurred first in western India and the Deccan but had spread throughout the Mughal Empire by the late 16th century. European jewelers were still being employed under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (reigned 1658-1707) in the second half of the 17th century. The array of Mughal-period enameled pieces in the exhibition demonstrates the adaptability, fidelity, and originality of the subcontinent's jewelers. They took to enameling with great aptitude, preserving the high technical standards necessary for the production of such enamels as the fine whites and the splendid but tricky ruby red and creating a bewildering array of original and distinctive styles and schools that are still imperfectly understood. Page 6 of 13 | On the next page: Gold-Embellished Steel |
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