http://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/44105/fullDiamond-Inset Enamelled Gold Cusped-Octagonal Lidded Box with Enamelled (Kundun) Floral and Fan-Tailed Dove Motifs on Bottom19th centuryOverall: 1 1/8 x 2 5/8 in. (2.9 x 6.7cm)Enameled gold, diamondsCourtesy of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art44.481This octagonal box is made of enameled gold and inset with diamonds. This art of inlaying precious stones, known as kundan is a technique native to India, in which precious stones are embedded by thin strips of pure gold. The most vivid decoration is on the bottom of the box, where alternating flowers and fan-tailed doves encircle the central dove, proudly fanning its tail.
The art of enameling may have been introduced to the Indian subcontinent through European diplomatic gifts or developed independently in the Deccan in southern India. Under the patronage of the Mughals, the technique was expertly incorporated into an indigenous Indian style. The artistic vocabularies developed during the rule of the Mughal dynasty persisted within the art of India long after the empire collapsed in the 19th century.
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