Wandering around the Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Shah Jahan - one of my favorite huge, historically-important diamonds - is visiting NYC as part of the exhibit Sultans of Deccan India, 1500 – 1700: Opulence and Fantasy, on view through July 26th, 2015.
The Shah Jahan Diamond, currently on loan to the MET from the al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait
The Shah Jahan diamond weighs 56.72 carats, and is a covetable fancy light pink color. The octagonal portrait-cut is drilled with tiny holes on the top, so it could be sewn onto a turban. The stone is named after the Shah because it very closely resembles (and possibly identical) to a gem shown in a portrait of Shah Jahan, who reigned as Mughal Emperor from 1628 – 1658.
Hashim. The Emperor Shah Jahan standing upon a globe. Dated 1629
The Shah’s flair for opulence extended beyond gemstones, of course, and today he is most remembered as patron of the Taj Mahal, built as a mausoleum for his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in NYC this summer.