The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) displays numerous stunning jewellery pieces, but there is a remarkable one that belongs to the MIA’s Collection Highlights: the Varanasi-style necklace. A prime example of Mughal-era jewellery, it can be found in Gallery 16, Imperial Arts of South Asia.
The Mughal Dynasty (1526–1858 CE) governed much of northern India for about three centuries, which resulted in the emergence of a new culture blending local traditions and the dynasty’s artistic patronage. Marked by significant cultural growth, that period saw the fusion of Persian, Indian, and Central Asian influences into a unique art style. During the Mughal era, jewellery was a crucial part of the royal court, denoting status and position. Made in the 13th century AH/19th century CE, the necklace exhibited at MIA was most likely a marriage or diplomatic gift from an Indian noble to a member of Nepal’s royal family.
In the 19th century, multiple Rajput rulers in India married Nepal’s noble Rana family, a dynasty which held power from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century and maintained a close relationship with the British Raj in India. The intermarriages strengthened political ties and promoted artistic and material exchange between the regions.
The Varanasi-style necklace comprises seventeen diamonds suspended with Colombian emeralds and topped with pearls. The diamond drops are connected by strands of diamond-set beads. The reverse sides of these beads are embellished in exquisite enamel work incorporating white enamel flowers and pink gulabi meena enamel. These two features are typical of the Varanasi style.
The gulabi meena technique, a style of painted enamelling, was brought to Varanasi by Persian enamelists (meenakars) around the 11th century AH/17th century CE during Mughal rule. Employing five subsequent applications of powdered enamel and firing, meenakars decorated their pieces with sublime translucent pink roses and lotuses over opaque white enamelled ground. This technique highlights the skill of its artisan and the importance of its wearer.
What also indicates the necklace recipient’s noble status is the outstanding size and quality of the diamonds from the renowned Golconda mines in southern India, along with the deep green emeralds.
To get more information about the Museum of Islamic Art’s Varanasi-style necklace, please visit its official web page.
While at the museum, you may also be interested in looking at the splendid Damascus Room. In addition, we recommend that you view the Ziena Splendor of the Indian Courts exhibition organised by Sharjah Museums Authority.
