A GEM SET MACE

The historic weapon of the mace is considered second only to the sword and played a key role in ceremonies as a symbol of power, authority and military prowess (Mohamed, 2007, p. 235). The shape of the present mace is comparable to an earlier eighteenth century steel mace produced in India in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 36.25.1874). Other examples of ceremonial maces were produced in luxurious materials such as a carved rock crystal example set with a ruby from eighteenth century Mughal India in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 36.25.1884). However, the quantity of the inset stones adorning this mace is considerably higher than other known examples.
The Royal Mace of Iran, although a different shape to this example, shares this lavish ornamentation as it is encrusted with various jewels including diamonds, emeralds, and spinels. This mace was the favorite of Fath ‘Ali Shah who is frequently depicted with it in portraits including one in the British Library (inv. no. F116, see Fellinger and Guillaume, 2018, fig. 1, p.114).