A footed bowlAgate and goldIndia, possibly Gujarat, 17th centuryLater mountsThis small smoked shades tinged agate cup has, as its main defining characteristic, the fact that it is a monolith, that is, it was carved out, cup and foot, of a single mineral block that remains united. Agates are one of the various types of chalcedony, a type of quartz that includes also carnelians and heliotropes.The identification of geographical origin for this type of pieces - carved out of a single mineral core and without decoration - is normally a rather difficult task.However, the chosen mineral type and its shape, suggest that this cup might originate from Gujarat, a north-western Indian Province. According to diaries of many travellers and traders that visited Gujarat in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was from that area that various objects originated, not only utilitarian but also of higher artistic intervention, carved out in various types of chalcedony. Amongst these can be found bowls, dagger and sword handles, seals, rings, etc. (1)Of the extremely rare dated pieces that have survived to date, stands out a small semi-hemispherical agate cup, inscribed with Quran verses and dated to 1606, presently at the Khalili Collection, London (2). A second bowl, equally in tinged agate and attributed to the second quarter of the 17th century, belongs to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (3).The pronounced cup of this bowl, sits on a small foot replicating the base of a truncated cone. The rim, outer curving and of straight lip, is thinner than its walls. Albeit both the cup and the foot being more pronounced, they approach the shapes of the jade chalice of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-27), in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, with inscribed date corresponding to 1607-08 (4). A second bowl, at the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, in rock crystal but enriched with gold and precious stones does also present a similar shape (5).Various Mughal Emperors, had themselves portrayed holding small cups but, unfortunately, due to the very small size of the portrayed objects it is difficult to be certain about their shapes, and for that reason, impossible to reach any conclusions.The cup has been enriched with two filigree bands and gold graining. The chosen decorative motif, a succession of profiled waves, it is somehow uncommon in Mughal India or even in other southern India regions. The well-known “Vitruvian Scroll” belongs to the Ancient Rome architectural repertoire and yet it is present here, decorating a foot edge and the anterior area to the lip.A shallow recess in this latter area suggests that the cup was designed to take decorative mounts. The motif chosen however, as well as the fact that the upper band prevents its use – at least comfortably – indicate that the mounts are posterior, dating possibly to the 20th century.Pedro Moura Carvalho, Art HistorianLiterature:(1) Pedro Moura Carvalho, (essays by S. Vernoit e H. Sharp), “Gems and Jewels of Mughal India, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art”, vol. XVIII, p. 50;(2) Pedro Moura Carvalho, (essays by S. Vernoit e H. Sharp), “Gems and Jewels of Mughal India, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art”, vol. XVIII, p. 85;(3) P. Pal, J Leoshko, J. M. Dye III, S. Markel, “Romance of the Taj Mahal”, (cat.), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles and London, 1989, pp. 152–3, cat. 162;(4) Dated and with date corresponding to 1607 –8. Illustrated in R. Skelton, [et al.], “The Indian Heritage. Court Life and Arts under Mughal Rule”, (cat.), Victoria and Albert Museum, p. 117, cat. 350;(5) M. Keene, S. Kaoukji, “Treasury of the World. Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals: The al-Sabah Collection”, p. 33, cat. 2.7. 190.Height: 5,8 cmDiam.: 7,5 cm