V.𝓑𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓸𝓲𝓼𝓮 E.

“The greatest historical diamond that has retained its original cut is the Great Mughal. This legendary stone is the largest diamond ever found in India. It was the pride of the Indian padishahs and Persian shahanshahs, and now adorns the scepter of the Russian Empire and is known throughout the world under the name Orlov.

The Orlov diamond was presumably found in the early 17th century in the Kollur mines of the Golconda Sultanate—the richest diamond deposit in India. In 1658, Jehan Shah's son, Aurangzeb, dethroned his father and assumed the Mughal throne, appropriating all his treasures. In 1665, the French merchant and explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was admitted to Aurangzeb's court and granted permission to compile an inventory of the Shah's treasures. Tavernier was the first European to see and document the Peacock Throne and the legendary diamond. Aurangzeb died in 1707, and in 1738, Nadir Shah conquered India, captured Delhi, and took all the captured treasures, including the Orlov Diamond, to Persia. After the Shah's assassination in 1747, the stone made its way to Europe and then to the British Isles.

After reaching London, the stone's fate is clearly traced through documents. It is known that there, after a series of resale transactions, the diamond was purchased by the Armenian Grigory Safras, who sold it to Russia.

Count Grigory Orlov, a favorite and ally of Empress Catherine the Great, presented the Russian ruler with this treasure on November 24, 1773, at a celebration marking her name day. In 1774, Catherine II ordered the diamond set into the finial of the Imperial Scepter, and it was named the "Orlov."

Unlike its historical counterparts—the Koh-i-Noor, Sancy, and Hope diamonds—which were barbarically recut in modern times, the Orlov diamond retained its original Indian Rose cut, offering a glimpse into the beauty and cutting technology of large stones in the 17th century!

Weighing 199.6 carats, the stone is cut in the Indian Rose shape and has 180 facets.

Gorgeous 1920s Lacloche Freres vanity case of black lacquer, gold, diamonds and jade. From Art Deco 1920, FB.

After a composition by Benvenuto Cellini, Italian, 1500–1571. Ganymede with Eagle and Eaglet, 18th century, bronze, partially oil-gilt, 1 1/8 × 5 × 3 3/8 in., 10 lb.

An Amazing Carved Emerald and Diamond Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, Circa 1971

Provenance: Formerly In The Collection Of Her Highness Begum Salimah Aga Khan

Wood Engraving Wednesday

BORIS ARTZYBASHEFF

Ukrainian American illustrator and wood engraver Boris Artzybasheff (1899-1965) produced twenty wood engravings to illustrate Orpheus: Myths of the World by Irish author and folklorist Padraic Colum (1881-1972), published in New York by the Macmillan Company in 1930. We show half of those engravings here which display Artzybasheff's distinctive bold forms and labyrinthine compositions. In this book, Colum brings together 58 related myths and legends from a wide range of world cultures, from the myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to those of India, Japan, Polynesia, and the Indigenous western hemisphere.

Our copy of this book  is another donation from the estate of our late friend Dennis Bayuzick.

View more posts with illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff.

View other books from the estate of Dennis Bayuzick.

Sphinx, Anonymous Italian Maker, 18th century, Jasper cameo on quartz. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of Rabbits (mid- to late 19th century) by Kaigyokusai Masatsugu (Japan, 1813-1892).