Untangling Shah Jahan’s Wine Cup

A ram’s head, a beautiful lotus, and a gourd-like form. This clashing repertoire of images on a wine cup owned by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, is also an unexpected toast to the flow of cosmopolitanism during his reign.

Wine Cup of Emperor Shah Jahan in Victoria and Albert Museum

Retrieved from the courts of the Mughal empire, Shah Jahan’s wine cup is one of the most striking objects to survive four tumultuous centuries of South Asian history. Although the dynasty's legacy is often tied to their architecture, the objects they left behind also contain compelling insights into their past.

Crafted in 1657 for Shah Jahan, a descendant of a long line of Central Asian conquerors, the wine cup features a brilliant show of craftsmanship. Made with white nephrite jade, the cup has a distinct gourd-like shape.

When placed on a table, its handle, featuring a ram’s head, is one of its most unexpected features. But when turned over, a softer detail confronts the viewer. Carved onto the base are delicate acanthus leaves — a popular ornamental motif viewed as a symbol of immortality and resurrection in Ancient Greece. On top of this pattern, a raised lotus flower appears, forming a pedestal for the cup.

All this may seem like an unexpected jumble. But when seen together, the cup has a breathtaking visual story. Yet, what makes this object historically significant is the fact that none of these features actually come from the same artistic lineage.

Housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum today, Shah Jahan’s cup spills into a crucial narrative of the Mughal Empire — the onset of cosmopolitanism.

Although Mughal ancestry was Persian by heritage, it was also Indian through assimilation. On top of this, the Mughals were astonishingly open to new ideas from other parts of Asia and the West. During their rule, people from different backgrounds passed through the empire. Merchants bearing exotic objects, travellers, adventurers, craftsmen boasting unfamiliar skills, and even Jesuits looking to convert people, were all entertained at the royal court.

This extraordinary flow of cultures and ideas during the Mughal rule is reflected in the design of the surviving glassware.

At a glance, the wine cup derives its gourd shape from Chinese tradition. But the animalistic imagery is a characteristic feature of Hindu art, along with the lotus on the back, which is a significant motif often regarded as the firstborn of creation under Hindu philosophy. However, the use of this lotus as a supporting pedestal is believed to come from Europe, where the imagery of acanthus leaves is also popular.

After the Indian rebellion of 1857, the cup exchanged hands from foreigners, purchasers, and vendors, till it was finally sold to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1962.

Although far from its place of origin, the cup is still one of the headiest love letters. Behind all its eclecticism, the cup has a distinct place in recording South Asian history. After all, this unexpected unity of Persia, China, Europe and indigenous India, which came into being under Mughal society, is a cultural story worth holding on to.