Special Exhibitions
Jeweled Arts of India
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Special Exhibitions |
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Jeweled Arts of India |
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Gemstone Forms From ancient times, various types of facet-cutting were practiced in western Asia and the subcontinent, reaching a notable peak in the region of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan about the time of Christ. The most complex manifestations of this type of gem-cutting were of full round polyhedral forms but included faceted forms for insertion into settings as well. Similar traditions were also followed in the early Middle Ages in the eastern Iranian world. It is, in fact, often difficult to distinguish a bead produced in the 1st century in a center such as Taxila, in present-day Pakistan, from a 10th-century example from an Islamic center, such as Balkh or Nishapur, in present-day northern Afghanistan and eastern Iran, respectively.With respect to the precious gems, western Asia and the subcontinent adopted a fundamentally different approach from that later developed in Europe. Rather than reducing stones to a preconceived form, the cutters and their patrons chose to liberate their beauty, producing pleasant and wearable shapes while retaining as much of each gem as possible. Page 11 of 13 | On the next page: Inscribed Royal Gemstones |
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