OBJECT FILE
The Koh-i-Noor
FOLLOWJewel House, Tower of London, London, United Kingdom
THE OBJECT
A 105.6-carat oval brilliant, recut in 1852 from a 186-carat Mughal stone. First securely recorded in Shah Jahan's Peacock Throne, taken from Delhi by Nader Shah in 1739, passed to Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747 and to Ranjit Singh of Lahore in 1813; surrendered to the East India Company under the Treaty of Lahore (1849) and presented to Queen Victoria on 3 July 1850. Set in the crowns of Queen Alexandra (1902), Queen Mary (1911) and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1937), in which it is displayed at the Tower of London.
REPORTED ACTIVITY
The belief that the stone brings misfortune to any man who wears it — and safety to a woman — was in circulation in Britain by 1850, fed by the Delhi Gazette and the Illustrated London News; since then only women of the royal family have worn it. Victoria wrote that she disliked wearing it, uneasy about how it had been taken. India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have each asked for its return.
WHERE IT IS NOW
On public display — kept by The Crown (Royal Collection Trust / Historic Royal Palaces). Jewel House, Tower of London, London, United Kingdom.
PROVENANCE · 5 ENTRIES
TRACE ON THE MAP →1739 – 1747
Nader Shah of Persia (taken from the Peacock Throne at Delhi)
the Persian court, Mashhad, Iran
First securely documented owner. Earlier Mughal ownership rests on the throne's description.
Source: Dalrymple and Anand (2017), citing Muhammad Kazim Marvi's account of the Peacock Throne
1747 – 1813
Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Durrani emirs (Shah Shuja last)
the Durrani court, Kandahar / Kabul, Afghanistan
Source: Dalrymple and Anand (2017); Shah Shuja seen wearing it as a bracelet at Peshawar, 1808 (Elphinstone)
1813 – 1849
Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh court (Duleep Singh last)
Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan
Source: Dalrymple and Anand (2017); Treaty of Lahore 1849, Art. III
1849 – 1850
East India Company (Lord Dalhousie)
Lahore, then in transit to England, Lahore, Pakistan
Source: Treaty of Lahore, 29 March 1849, Art. III; Dalrymple and Anand (2017)
1850 — CURRENT LOCATION
The British Crown (presented to Queen Victoria; recut 1852; Queen Mother's crown from 1937)
Buckingham Palace; Jewel House, Tower of London, London, United Kingdom
Source: Dalrymple and Anand (2017); Historic Royal Palaces, the Crown Jewels
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS · 0
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