Treasury of the World

Jewelry as an art form in Mughal India has probably never been surpassed by any other civilization. This presentation includes over 300 specially taken photographs - the great majority illustrating objects never previously published. The pieces range from rings, necklaces and other body ornaments to astonishingly detailed jewelled work on objects as diverse as boxes, flasks, bowls and daggers. They are presented and analysed in themes that include stone settings, precious metal inlay in hard stones, relief decoration in hammered metals, engraved gold-backed jewels, stones set on a gold floral ground, gold-embellished steel, relief carved ornaments, carved set gems, the varieties of gemstone forms and inscribed royal stones. The book concludes with a selection of particularly exuberant pieces that combine to create an explosion of jewelled magnificence of incomparable splendour.