A real museum object OPEN COLLECTION

Collection record · Small worlds

Ring

The collection record classifies this work as jewelry. It is dated 1700s. Recorded culture or place: India, Mughal, 18th century.

Explore the object record

OBJECT RECORD

A closer look at the details.

Museum title
Ring
Date
1700s
Culture / origin
India, Mughal, 18th century
Materials and technique
Gold, colored glass, and enamel
Dimensions
Diameter: 2.3 cm (7/8 in.)
Artist / maker
Not specified by the museum
Museum
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession number
1944.69

FROM THE MUSEUM

In the museum’s words

The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.

This ring is made from gold and colored glass, which is an imitation of emerald. Emeralds were extremely popular at the Mughal court, and were imported from Colombia. Emperor Akbar’s (reigned 1565–1605) court chronicler Abu’l Fazl recorded emeralds as one of the major holdings of the Mughal treasury, and there are several mentions of emeralds in the records of the reigns of Emeperor Jahangir (reigned 1605–27) and Emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58). Following the Afsharid invasion of Delhi in 1739, the jewels of the Mughal treasury were seized along with precious illustrated books and albums of paintings. In imitation of the jewels that once graced members of the Mughal court, jewelers created spectacular pieces from colored glass and fine-quality enamel. The city of Jaipur in northwestern India was famed for its enamel and jewelry making.

FOLLOW THE SOURCE

Text and image sources

The Cleveland Museum of Art · Edward L. Whittemore Fund · CC0

The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.

Open the complete museum record View the open-access policy

THE VISITOR BOOK

What caught your eye?

About anonymous participation

How surprising is this object?

Loading ratings…
Your surprise rating

No sign-in needed. An anonymous session can update its rating without adding another vote. Ratings do not represent verified individual people.

Leave a note in the visitor book

Comments are reviewed before publication. Please leave out contact details and other personal information.

0 / 500

Around this cabinet

Opening the visitor book…

Pass on your curiosity

Copy this link and invite a friend to guess.