A MUGHAL-STYLE CARVED JADE TURBAN ORNAMENT, JIGHA India, 18^th - 19^th century. Carved in openwork in the form of an acanthus leaf, with a central flowerhead surrounded by a row of leaves, issuing to one side a long, curved sprig with further leaves and round finial and a short sprig to the other side, the leaves and flowerhead finely incised. The translucent stone is of a pale gray tone with black specks.

Provenance: Collection Française particulière.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minuscule nibbling to exposed areas, the reverse with an old gilt fill. The once inlaid gemstones are now lost.

Weight: 24.8 g
Dimensions: Length 11.3 cm

Turban ornaments formed one of the most important symbols of power at the Mughal court. The jigha was worn exclusively by the emperor, his family, and entourage. It was a symbol of royalty or royal favor and the presentation of a jigha indicated imperial approval. This elaborate creation evolved from the earlier Mughal practice of pinning a heron's feather or kalgi to the front of the turban. Attaching a pearl to the end of the plume so that it curved backwards gracefully was a style introduced by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

Literature comparison:
Compare a jade and gem-inset jigha, dated to the 17^th century, in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, inventory number VS-443. Compare a jade gem-inset jigha, dated 1700-1750, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number 02569(IS).



蒙兀兒玉雕特爾本頭巾羽狀裝飾
印度，十八至十九世紀。鏤空雕茛苕葉形，左右葉片雕刻細緻整齊，半透明的石頭呈淺青色，帶有黑色斑點，細膩瑩潤。

來源：Française 舊藏。
品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損，微小的磕損，反面有鎏金修補。曾經鑲嵌的寶石現在已經遺失。

重量：24.8 克
尺寸：長11.3 厘米

特爾本頭巾飾物是蒙兀兒宮廷重要的權力像徵之一。吉哈是皇帝、他的家人和隨行人員專門佩戴的。它是皇室或皇室寵愛的象徵，表明了皇室的認可。這種精心製作是從早期的蒙兀兒習俗演變而來的，將蒼鷺的羽毛或卡爾吉釘在頭巾的前面，將珍珠附在羽毛的末端，使其優雅地向後彎曲，這是蒙兀兒皇帝賈漢吉爾引入的一種風格。

文獻比較：
比較一件十七世紀玉鑲嵌寶石吉哈，收藏於埃爾米塔日博物館，館藏編號VS-443。比較一件玉鑲嵌寶石吉哈，收藏於維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館，編號02569(IS)。