A RUBY AND EMERALD KUNDAN-SET CARVED WHITE JADE MUGHAL THUMB RING
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ANGLO-FRENCH ESTATE
Mughal Northern India, 18th century

Also known as archer's ring, of conventional drop-like shape, with an elongated cusped flange in the front and a pinched wall at the back, the ornate exterior enhanced with a central large flowering rosette head spraying vegetal meanders and more rosettes, encrusted with cabochon-cut rubies and table-cut emeralds in Indian gold kundan setting with raised collars, framed within two simple lines of 24ct gold kundan work, the shank 2cm diam., the ring 3.8cm long at widest points.

Highly collectible and desirable, encrusted hardstone thumb rings like this exemplify the Mughal gusto for turning any accessory, even the most practical and functional, into an exquisite work of art. From archer's rings to huqqa mouthpieces, from mirrors to snuffboxes, from flywhisk to stem cups, the Mughal bejewelled aesthetic knew no limit.

The overall design and arrangement of the floral motif on this ring are very closely associated with another similar in the Al-Thani Collection (Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas, exhibition catalogue, Venice, 2017, p. 131, fig. 78). Interestingly, although it is customary to present these rings with their cusped flange reversed towards the beholder, their floral motifs betray their correct orientation: the wearer would have looked down at the ring on his thumb and seen the tip of the bezel pointing upward.