Video: What the Peacock Throne looked like with the world's largest diamonds - a treasure of the Great Mughals, lost at the turn of the era
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The "Diamond Fund" of Tehran contains the unique treasures of old Persia. One of the most expensive exhibits in the museum is the Peacock Throne, a unique piece of art that once belonged to the Persian shahs. However, this creation is only a faint copy of the historical throne of the Mughal era. It was once decorated with famous diamonds, which are still the largest in the world.
Legends connect the making of the throne, unprecedented in luxury, with the name of the padishah Shah Jahan. This ruler remained in history as an ambiguous personality, but it is thanks to him that today we enjoy the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of the beloved wife of the padishah.
The name Shah Jahan is translated as "Master of the Universe". All his life he tried to surround himself with luxury goods and created wonders unseen in the world. When the Shah came up with the idea of making a throne, which could not be compared with the "armchairs" of other rulers, then for this purpose the most precious treasury relics were allocated. Jihan Shah ordered to gather the most skilled jewelers, carvers and artists from all over the empire. Heaps of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls were brought from the treasury. The ruler commanded to spend as much gold and silver as necessary.
A peacock, a noble and beautiful bird, was chosen as a symbol of the future royal throne. Interestingly, in Western culture, the comparison of a man with a peacock is somewhat derogatory. From our point of view, a "peacock" is a pompous person prone to narcissism, but in the east, a bright bird with a giant tail is considered a symbol of royal power and nobility. The same exact discrepancy arises when translating Eastern love lyrics. In her, comparing a beloved with a parrot means only that the girl is beautiful.
Judging by the surviving drawings and descriptions of contemporaries, the Peacock Throne, according to the Eastern tradition, was not an armchair with a back, but a high platform, being, in fact, an ottoman. Several silver steps led to it, the throne itself was adorned with gold, precious stones and enamel. Two peacocks, masterpieces of master jewelers, crowned the canopy.
Even if we assume that the throne was not made of solid gold, but only covered with plates of precious metal, its value, even approximately, cannot be estimated. The fact is that this symbol of royal power was decorated with diamonds, which are still the largest in the world. They were set in the peacocks' eyes, and the Shah diamond hung on a silk cord over the padishah's head. It was this stone, according to the widespread version, that was presented to the Russian government by the Persian prince as compensation for the murder of Alexander Griboyedov.
Another famous historical diamond adorned the Peacock Throne. The legendary stone "Great Mogul" was later subjected to another cut. There are suggestions that the famous stones "Kohinur" or "Orlov" were obtained from it. Then the legacy of the great Mughals now adorns the English crown or the imperial scepter of Catherine II. In the latter case, the two greatest stones of the Peacock Throne, Shah and Orlov, are kept in our country and are the largest in the collection of historical precious stones of the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation.
It is known that the throne for the "Master of the Universe" was created for seven years, but it did not serve the rulers for long. After the death of Shah Jahan, his empire began to crumble at the seams and several decades later was captured by neighbors. During this period, traces of the "Peacock Throne" are lost. The agent's message to the Russian consul in Isfahan about the export of the treasures of the great Mughals from Delhi has survived: “At the sight of such fabulous wealth, it was why to go crazy: the Peacock throne itself weighed a little less than two tons of pure gold. Only rubies, emeralds and diamonds set in gold were taken out on 21 camels more than five tons, small diamonds up to half a ton, and they did not count pearls at all."
Judging by the fact that the historical stones that adorned the throne later "surfaced" again, this unique work of art was divided into parts and disappeared without a trace. Subsequent dynasties of rulers tried several times to recreate the splendor of their ancestors, but, according to experts, none of them "reached" the original in terms of luxury and cost.
One of the diamonds of the Peacock Throne was brought to our country by Ivan Lazarev - the richest philanthropist, thanks to whom Armenians appeared in Russia, and the Empress got the famous Orlov diamond
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