Object as History (Week 14)

Mirror

The white jade case of this mirror is carved with symmetrical flowering plants accented with inset rubies. There is a handle at the bottom to hold the mirror as the size of the mirror is larger than an average human hand. They were mainly designed for the Queen’s. These objects, decorated with floral motifs favored by the Mughal elite, were often exchanged as gifts. Jade work is an extremely timeconsuming process which requires a great deal of skill because of the stone’s hard and brittle nature. Highly skilled Mughal Empire artisans carved works     like this from jade which they then embedded with precious gems. The shape of the mirror depicts the Mughal Empire as most of their objects and windows were shaped in the same manner.

Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with a Meandering Riverside Landscape 

These are the huqqa (water pipe) base.  Huqqa bases are ranked most among the most attractive decorative objects of the period. The base is shaped in spherical form. It is made by using the material silver and brass. It was one of the highly prized objects as it was first made in Mughals. It is decorated with lotuses emerging from a pond, which was shown in all stages of flowering, from tightly budded to fully open. The lotus is a symbol of purity and enlightenment. The base includes the elements of sky, earth and water.