SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI.- The Saint Louis Art Museum presents "Treasury of the World - Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals," on view through April 20, 2003. This dazzling exhibition of jeweled arts from the Mughal period in India was drawn from the extensive holdings of the famed al-Sabah Collection in the Kuwait National Museum. The exhibition includes more than 300 jeweled items of personal adornment, as well as princely weapons, jade and crystal bowls set with precious stones, more than two dozen spinels or "balas rubies" and emeralds inscribed with the titles of their imperial owners, and other spectacular pieces representing several imperial reigns.
The Mughal rulers of India (1526-1858) maintained a court renowned for its wealth, high culture, and love of precious objects, all of which were epitomized in the jeweled arts of the period. This exhibition reveals the mastery of technique and rich range of motifs and styles achieved by India’s talented artists and craftsmen during the Mughal reign.
The al-Sabah Collection has been assembled over the last 25 years by Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah of Kuwait. The jeweled works are but one facet of their extraordinary collection, which features approximately 7,000 works of the highest quality from all regions of the Islamic world spanning the 7th to the 19th centuries. The breadth and range of the collection is unrivaled.
The majority of the jeweled objects featured in this exhibition were produced before the end of the 17th century. The best and most inventive pieces come from the height of the Mughal empire (1556-1707) during the reigns of the "Great Mughals" Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. Among the most exquisite pieces in the exhibition is a jeweled cameo pendant featuring a carved portrait of Shah Jahan, who is best known as the architect of the Taj Mahal, built between 1630 and 1653. It was during this fertile era in Indian history that the jeweled arts reached their creative zenith. Extraordinary skills were developed and mastered by jewelers in the Indian subcontinent during this period. Unique to Indian artisans was the gem-setting technique known as kundan, in which pure (24-carat) gold foil is wrapped around gemstones and burnished at room temperature to form structurally solid yet minimal settings. This resulted in unparalleled freedom for jewelry artists to realize their designs. Indian craftsmen also attained particular distinction for their skill and sensitivity in carving jade and other hard stones into delicate sculptural forms.
This exhibition is resplendent with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, lavish enamels, gold, and silver, illustrating the artistry that has made India a center of jewelry production since ancient times.
The exhibition was organized by the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum, in collaboration with the Saint Louis Art Museum. The exhibition is curated by Manuel Keene, of the al-Sabah Collection, with the assistance of Salam Kaoukui. At the Saint Louis Art Museum, the exhibition is organized by Sidney Goldstein, curator of ancient and Islamic art.
