Over six years this collection has developed from a source of private pleasure into a leading group of jewellery worthy of publication and exhibition. Although this was not the intention at the start, the quality of the first acquisitions suggested immediately that this collection would be a serious one. Among the first acquisitions were two fine jighas, a rare example in jade and one with a finely-faceted central spinel. These were the first of what was to become an outstanding group of turban ornaments stretching from the Mughal period to the present day.

 

Sheikh Hamad had long been an admirer of the work of the Parisian jeweller JAR, who shares a passion for India as he does for historic gems. With his eye now focused on Indian jewellery, the work of JAR assumed a new significance. Among the jeweller’s most innovative works is a brooch designed as a setting for an old-mine emerald, the front designed as a cusped arch and the reverse as a pierced lattice screen; the piece had been made in 2002, well before this collection was formed. The acquisition of the brooch opened a door to the work of contemporary designers. A meeting with Viren Bhagat enriched the contemporary holdings in the collection. Bhagat’s work infuses a fresh delicacy and refinement into Indian jewellery, using old-cut gems with settings that disappear and seemingly suspend in mid-air transparent diamonds, laboriously shaped after petals, pointed leaves and cusped cartouches.

 

Eastern Origin, Western Design

As the collection grew it became apparent that the fantastic encounter between European jewellers and maharajas needed to be represented. Equally fascinating was the role of Western firms in setting old Indian stones. Today the products of this cultural exchange between East and West form one of the strengths of the collection. Among the highlights is a brooch with a large carved Indian emerald designed by Cartier for the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris and modified in 1927, and a belt brooch created by the same firm using an old step-cut emerald of exceptional quality. An early example of the re-use of old Indian gems and the juxtaposition of stones of different colours is found in this collection in a much-published avant-garde brooch designed by Paul Iribe and executed by Robert Linzeler in 1910 in which sapphires, diamonds and pearls compliment a substantial carved emerald. This seminal piece, now in this collection, belonged for many years to the Cartier brothers, suggesting that it inspired in some measure their bold Indian-style creations.

 

This collection holds a number of pieces designed in the West specifically for an Indian prince. Among these is the celebrated ruby bead choker made by Cartier for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in 1931 as one of three necklaces that were conceived to be worn together to grand effect. The Maharaja had famously re-set many of his gems with Cartier and Boucheron in the 1920s and early 1930s and was a leading client for both firms. Another prince who patronised both of these houses was Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, a polymath and statesman who felt naturally at home in France and became a leading patron of French luxury firms. Among his early jewellery acquisitions was a peacock-shaped aigrette made by Mellerio dits Meller, a Paris-based firm which had operated under French royal patronage since the time of Marie de Medicis and which had enjoyed particular favour in the Second Empire. Western jewellery created for another leading Indian royal patron is found in a group of three rings owned by Maharaja Yeshwantrao Holkar II of Indore, all of which are associated with Harry Winston, the legendary jeweller who became a close friend of the Indore royal family.

 

As a particular interest of the collector, gemstones – some with remarkable provenance – have come to form the backbone of the collection. Among these is the Arcot II, one of two pear-shaped diamonds given by Muhammad ‘Ali Wallajah, Nawab of Arcot, to Queen Charlotte and later mounted in the Crown Jewels of George IV. On the king’s death the diamonds were sold to the 1st Marquess of Westminster, whose descendant, the 3rd Duke of Westminster, sold them to pay taxes in 1959. The Idol’s Eye is another historical gem in the collection, prized as the largest cut blue diamond in the world. The collection is particularly strong in its holdings of emeralds, both of faceted and carved examples, dating from the Mughal period onwards. As green was the favourite colour of the Prophet Mohamed, emeralds found particular favour among Islamic rulers in the subcontinent and they were widely used in jewellery. Among the best known examples in this collection is the Taj Mahal Emerald, set by Cartier in its legendary Collier Bérénice neckpiece made for the Exposition of 1925.

 

Within an Indian context diamonds were prized for their inimitable qualities, ranging from translucency to hardness; in Sanskrit the gem was called vajra (literally ‘thunderbolt’). The indestructible nature of this gemstone has meant that diamonds were traditionally considered a masculine gem. For instance, the author of the 6th-century Ratnapariksha (“Appreciation of Gems”) wrote that: “the king, who according to what he has been told, wears a beautiful, light, sparkling diamond, possesses a power that triumphs over all other powers.” It sometimes surprises first-time students of Indian jewellery to learn that the great diamond necklaces in this collection were worn by men – both for their supernatural properties and as a representation of the wealth of the state. Altogether more subtle, women’s jewellery is also represented in the collection, characterised by a feminine scale and decorative palette.

 

Royal Accoutrements

Each acquisition made represents a different aspect of jewellery and the jewelled arts in South Asia. The fusion of traditional Indian jewellery with Western gem-faceting and setting techniques during the British Raj is another area of interest, representing the taste of the high 19th century. Among the notable pieces of this group are spectacular diamond and emerald necklaces designed to be worn in durbar, the formal audience at which an Indian ruler showed himself before the court, diamond turban ornaments  and a gem-encrusted state sword from Hyderabad. Ceremonial weapons had been part of Indian culture long before the arrival of Europeans and were often depicted in portraits of rulers; the style and shape of this sword however reveals a clear debt to western models.

 

The paraphernalia of court culture has over time also been incorporated into the collection, as have objects associated with the pleasures of taking paan (a preparation of betel leaf and areca nut and sometimes tobacco that is chewed for its psychoactive quality and stimulative effect) and smoking the hookah. In this respect the collection is fortunate to have an exceptionally rare ruby-inlaid spherical jade hookah base, which was acquired and subsequently found to have been exhibited in Delhi at the time of the Coronation Durbar of 1903 by Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur. Among the most prized pieces in the collection is a small knife with a carved jade hilt that belonged to Shah Jahan and is depicted in portraits of this most refined gem-loving emperor. The pommel of this celebrated piece is carved with the head of an exotic youth clearly inspired by Renaissance depictions. Jade, rock crystal and other hardstone objects form an aspect of the collection that is increasingly significant. A major acquisition in this area is a jade cup made for the Mughal emperor Jahangir that was formerly in the Guennol Collection on long-term loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The cup is inscribed in exceptional quality with the ruler’s titles along with two quatrains of Persian poetry. It is the earliest dated Mughal jade in existence and along with the Shah Jahan Dagger provides a foundation for what has become a very significant holding of jades and hardstones spanning from the Timurid period to the late Mughal empire.

 

Acquisitions for the collection have been driven by personal passion and shaped by the idea of collecting for quality rather than quantity. As with any private holding, this group of objects represents a unique personal vision, inspired by taste, knowledge and deep passion that grows year on year. At the same time, a concerted effort has been made to represent leading schools of courtly jewellery from the Mughal period onwards, revealing the full extent of the ingenuity of Indian jewellers and their impact in the wider world. From the elegant, restrained forms of early Mughal jades and jewellery to the wildly extravagant hybrid designs of the 19th century and the stylish, chic creations of the modern age, these pieces from the Al Thani Collection will hopefully instil in viewers an understanding and appreciation of this subject, such as it exists in the collector himself and in the academic team that is privileged to work with objects of such aesthetic merit and cultural significance.