Jade Jar with Poem

This fine jade jar represents the high esteem in which Mughal jades were held around the globe. Made in northern India, it was collected by discerning connoisseurs, such as the Emperor Qianlong (1122-1214 AH/1711-1799 CE) of China. Jade vessels of this kind in naturalistic and undulating floral and animal forms were first made in the 11th century AH/17th century CE for patrons at the courts of India. As their popularity grew outside of India, jades in the Indian style were manufactured elsewhere, in Central Asia, close to the source of the jade stone, but also in China where the appetite for such jades was vast. A number of high quality pieces have come from the imperial collection in Beijing; the very best have been determined to come from India, and a select few among these, such as the MIA jar, have been inscribed with laudatory poems composed by Qianlong himself. This demonstrates that the relationship and trade in art between China and the Islamic world was not uni-directional, but that objects from the Islamic world were appreciated in China as well.