Height 9.3 cm (3 9/16 in.), width 5.6 cm (2 1/4 in.)
LNS 28 J
Shaped as a bird of prey, the pendant is set with rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and rock crystal (in
the area around the eyes); the back of the wings and tail is engraved and niello inlaid with floral
designs. The beak was carved from two solid pieces of ruby and the feet were formed of thick gold
wire. Large pearls are suspended from the beak and the tail; similar pearls were once attached to
the tips of the wings as well. The gems were set in the typically Indian fashion backed by a filling
of hard thermoplastic material, here red lac or hard wax.
Pendants shaped as eagles with outspread wings were commonly produced in Spain, north Africa,
and India. This example may have been part of an imperial regalia, such as a throne, or conceived
as the centrepiece of a necklace
