[64] An Indian Mughal Carved Translucent Green Nephrite Scribes Rule 18th Century
s i z e : 20.5 cm long, 1.5 cm dia. – 8 ins long, ½ ins dia. p rov e na nc e : Ex Private English collection Un-carved jade and nephrite was among the precious materials that the Mughal rulers stored in their treasuries. In 1609 the Mughal Jahangir possessed, in addition to a number of jade vessels, lumps of Chinese jade weighing 55 pounds. Persians, Afghans, Arabs and Europeans are all known to have worked for the Mughal Emperors. European influence was greatest during the reign of Jahangir mainly through Portuguese Jesuit missionaries and occasionally travellers like William Hawkins who set out from England in 1607 in command of an East India Company ship. Part of his mission was to carry letters and gifts from James I to the princes and governors of India. Hawkins arrived at the Mughal court in Agra in April 1609 and remained for nearly three years. During his stay he became one of the Emperor’s most intimate friends. Hawkins died on the way back to England, but the journal he kept during his stay in India was eventually published. It is in this journal that Hawkins mentions the five hundred jade wine cups stored within the Emperor’s treasury.