Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c36: List of Illustrations
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c36
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List of Illustrations
v2.c36.1
*Ill. 2.1* Amethyst 52 x 60 mm. Manganese containing quartz or sphatika.
v2.c36.2
*Ill. 2.2* Colour in Agate/Carnelian Amongst the earliest gems in India.
v2.c36.3
*Ill. 2.3* Native Gold on Quartz. Often ends up in river sand (through metamorphosis) recovered by Indian artisans for ages.
v2.c36.4
*Ill. 2.4* Hope Diamond, probably part of Great Blue diamond taken from India by Tavernier. Now this is in Smithsonian Institution, U.S.A.
v2.c36.5
*Ill. 2.5* Hexagonal Ruby or Padmarāga.
v2.c36.6
*Ill. 2.6* The Star of India. Largest Sapphire — 563 Carats.
v2.c36.7
*Ill. 2.7* Faint green hexagonal beryl or vaidūrya. Ratnaśalākā of Kālidāsa.
v2.c36.8
*Ill. 2.8* Emerald Crystals in Limestone.
v2.c36.9
*Ill. 2.9* Panning for gems in the Mahānadī. Inset an aquamarine or probably green beryl.
v2.c36.10
*Ill. 2.10* (a) Rosser Reeves Ruby (138.7 carats) from Sri Lanka — the largest and finest star ruby in the world. (b) 911 carat aquamarine from Brazil. (c) The Maharani — 58.2 carat chrysoberyl cat's eye.
v2.c36.11
*Ill. 2.11* Emerald. The name was derived from the Sanskrit word Marakata meaning the (Egyptian) gem found near desert (maru) and sea-coast (kata), Masāraka (Egyptian gem) and Smaragdos.
v2.c36.12
*Ill. 2.12* The Taj Mahal Emerald, Mughal, circa 1630-50, Colombian emerald, 4 x 5 cm. weight: 141.13 carats.
v2.c36.13
*Ill. 2.13* Weight for Floor Covering, Mughal, circa 1700, alabaster with gemstone inlay, 9.5 x 8.5 cm.
v2.c36.14
*Ill. 2.14* Istanbul Dagger set with three emeralds, Istanbul Museum.
v2.c36.15
*Ill. 2.15* 18-19th century 94.5 cm. long sword of the Maharaja of Holkar set with rubies, emeralds, diamond and onyx, Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
v2.c36.16
*Ill. 2.16* Skandamātā. Tanesara — Mahadeva, south of Udaipur. Blue Schist. Rajasthan, Los Angles County Museum of Art.
v2.c36.17
*Ill. 2.17* Gaṅgā and Yamunā. Terracotta. Ahicchatra. New Delhi, National Museum.
v2.c36.18
*Ill. 2.18, 2.19* The famous Ajantā Buddhistic cave and temple have been carved out of basaltic rock.
v2.c36.19
*Ill. 2.20* The famous painting ‘Black princess’ (Ajantā, cave no. 1). The pigments used in the Ajantā paintings are lamp black, charcoal, red and yellow ochres, vermillion, ultramarine, terre verte etc.
v2.c36.20
*Ill. 2.21* Maternity scene in Black basalt. Could be birth of Kṛṣṇa, Devakī and Kṛṣṇa. Pāla, 11th century AD, New Delhi, National Museum.
v2.c36.21
*Ill. 2.22* Koṇārka Temple 13th century in Khondalite rock.
v2.c36.22
*Ill. 2.23* Female Musician. Koṇārka Temple, in Khondalite rock. Erosion is on account of decomposition of the Khondalite mineral.
v2.c36.23
*Ill. 2.24* Avalokiteśvara (Bronze). Hemis Gumpha, Leh, 15th century. Inset blue turquoise.
v2.c36.24
*Ill. 2.25* Dancing Tārā. Gilded Statuette set with turquoise, ruby and other semi-precious stones. 18th Century AD, Nepalese statuette. Bombay, Prince of Wales Museum of Western India.