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The 17th century rare gems of Mughal era in India will go under auction for the first time in London, the officials announced on Thursday.
The rarest gems will be offered at auction for the first time, with estimates of GBP 1.5 million and GBP 2.5 million each.
The diamond pair of glasses, named the Halo of Light, and the emerald pair, named the Gate of Paradise, will go on display at Sotheby바카라s London from October 22 in the lead up to their auction at the Arts of the Islamic World & India sale on October 27.
바카라These extraordinary curiosities bring together myriad threads 바카라 from the technical mastery of the cutter and the genius of craftsmanship to the vision of a patron who chose to fashion two pairs of eyeglasses quite unlike anything ever seen before,바카라 said Edward Gibbs, Chairman, Sotheby바카라s Middle East & India.
바카라They are undoubtedly a marvel for gemologists and historians alike, and it is a real thrill to be able to bring these treasures to light and to offer the world the opportunity to wonder at their brilliance and the mystery behind their creation,바카라 he said.
The story of the unique spectacles begins in 17th century Mughal India, at a time when imperial wealth, scientific knowledge and artistic endeavour all simultaneously reached their peak. Commissioned by an unknown prince, an artist shaped a diamond, weighing over 200 carats, and a brilliant emerald, weighing at least three hundred carats, into two masterpieces. Testament to the technical skill involved, no comparable example of either is known to exist. In 1890, the lenses were placed in new frames, decorated with rose-cut diamonds.
The original patron for whom these extraordinary spectacles were commissioned remains unknown, but they stem from a rich period of artistic and architectural achievement during the Great Mughal reigns of emperors Akbar (1556바카라1605), Jahangir (1605바카라1627), Shah Jahan (1627바카라1658) and Aurangzeb (1658바카라1707).
바카라The quality and purity of the gemstones is itself extraordinary and stones of this size would no doubt have been the reserve of an emperor. The diamonds are flawless, thought to be from the mines of Golconda in Southern India,바카라 Sotheby바카라s experts note.
바카라Cleaved as a pair from a single natural diamond 바카라 possibly the largest ever found 바카라 they now together weigh 25 carats. The faceting around the edge displays extreme skill, arranged to hold transparency in the lenses while releasing light from the edges. The teardrop-shaped emeralds also originate from a single natural Colombian emerald, and now weigh twenty-seven carats. The bevelling of the emeralds has been precisely angled to hold the intensity of the colour in the stone,바카라 they add.
According to legends of the time, while ordinary lenses merely function to improve sight, these filters were aids for spiritual enlightenment 바카라 with diamonds thought to illuminate and emeralds believed to have held miraculous powers to heal and to ward off evil.
In India, legend has it that following the tragic death of Shah Jahan바카라s beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal 바카라 in whose honour the Taj Mahal was built 바카라 the emperor is said to have cried so many tears that he needed to cure his ailing eyes with emerald stones. (With PTI inputs)
