Beschreibung:

An Art Deco emerald, diamond and enamel brooch, by Hennell, circa 1925, Containing an engraved emerald, dated 1813-14, probably presented by the Mughal Emperor Akbar II (Reg. 1806-1837) to Mary Hood The Mughal emerald of octagonal-cut, engraved with five lines in nasta'liq, interspersed with floral motifs, bearing the name Mary Hood and the date 1813-14, within an openwork frame of black enamel, brilliant and single-cut diamonds with calibré-cut emerald highlights at each corner, mounted in platinum, signed Hennell, brooch dimensions 3.1 x 3.3cm, emerald dimensions 2.4 x 2.65cm, tooled leather fitted case by Hennell, 4 Southampton St, Bloomsbury London Fußnoten Accompanied by a report from The Gem and Pearl Laboratory stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin with minor clarity enhancement. Report number 17738, dated 23 August 2019. Provenance Mary Elizabeth Frederica Stewart-Mackenzie, Lady Hood (1783-1862) Thence by descent Private UK Collection The brass plaque on the reverse of the fitted case reads: "This emerald is engraved in Persian with the following words: cream of the pillars of the state, Queen and music of the age, Mary Frederica Elizabeth Hood, noblest of women, Princess, child of the Majesty of Mahommed Akbar, the Emperor, the Warrior. 1813." However, the inscription may be more accurately translated as: "The essence of ..., the water of life of the age, Princess Mary Frederica Elizabeth Hood, the lady excelled in glory, [considered] the glorious child of Muhammad Akbar Padshah, the Conqueror 1229 (1813-14)." Lady Hood, also known as Lady Hood Mackenzie, Mrs Stewart-Mackenzie as well as the sobriquet "The Hooded Lassie", was the heiress of Francis Humberston Mackenzie, British soldier, politician and botanist, chief of clan Mackenzie and last Baron Seaforth (1754-1815). She was also the prototype for the character, Ellen Douglas, in Sir Walter Scott's poem "The Lady of the Lake". Born in Tarradale, Ross-shire, the Hon. Maria Elizabeth Frederica Mackenzie (known as Mary) was the eldest of four brothers and six sisters. Her youth, spent on the Mackenzie estates, Brahan Castle and Stornoway, the homes of her ancestors, fostered a lifelong love of the Highlands and its history and legends. In 1801, the family moved to Barbados where her father took up the position of Governor. There she met her first husband, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood (1762-1814), who was attracted to her "superior mind, happy disposition, cultivated tastes and engaging eagerness for life". They married in November 1804 at Bridgetown in the presence of her parents and despite their difference in age - he was 20 years her senior - formed a devoted bond. Hood, was one of Nelson's captains and had served at Santa Cruz and the Battle of the Nile. When he lost an arm during a sea-battle in 1805, Mary wrote "I love him ten times better than ever and I think he has shown himself a greater hero in his sick chamber than ever he did on the quarter deck." When Sir Samuel was away at sea, Mary lived chiefly in England and became friends with Lady Louisa Stuart, Mary Berry Lady Stafford, Lady Anne Barnard, and Catherine Wellesley, wife of the Duke of Wellington. One evening, in London, she escorted the Princess of Wales to Covent Garden Theatre and was introduced to the Duke of Cumberland. It was also during this time that she forged a firm friendship with Sir Walter Scott who was also a friend of her father. Scott valued her knowledge of Scottish lore and her "noble and generous feeling and manners, with something of the pride of high birth and a great deal of the kindly warmth of domestic affection." The two corresponded regularly and he would often attempt to lift her spirits when her husband was at war. In 1811, Sir Samuel was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies, and the couple sailed to India. There, Lady Hood travelled extensively and is documented as having charmed the upper echelons of Anglo-Indian society with her graceful manners. The