Indian Collectors Art
The Vase by Sheikh Shams Uddin, full view
The silk bouquet in detail
Faceted stone at the centre of the vessel
Family archive photograph of the artist with Indira Gandhi
Turquoise rosette ringed with pearls
Study I · photographs from the family collection

Study I · Catalogue entry

The Vase

Sheikh Shams Uddin (Agra, India), recipient of the Padma Shri, 1989

Medium
Dimensional silk embroidery with gem materials1
Date
Completed in the 1970s1
Inscribed
Embroidered at the base: Shams, Agra, India
Making
Approximately four to five years of handwork1
Provenance
Commissioned and acquired by a private collector; thence by descent to his son. Never publicly traded or auctioned1

Catalogue note

A bouquet of roses, chrysanthemums and smaller blooms rises from an ornate footed vessel against a dark ground. The flowers are worked in silk raised into relief, so that petals overlap and lift from the surface rather than lying flat upon it.

The work belongs to the pictorial branch of Indian embroidery: conceived to be framed and viewed as an image, it asks to be read in the manner of a painting while retaining the material richness of ceremonial textile.

Materials

The family declaration describes pure silk, emerald cabochons, rubies, pearls, turquoise and other gem materials, and gives an estimate of more than 5,000 carats in total, drawn from family records and oral history.1 These descriptions are recorded as the family's account; they have not been independently tested.

The artist

Sheikh Shams Uddin of Agra appears in the Government of India's Padma Awards notification for 1989, for zari embroidery.2 A photograph in the family archive is identified as the artist receiving recognition from Indira Gandhi. Condé Nast Traveller reports that he was honoured by Ronald Reagan.3 The family history records earlier generations embroidering for King George V and the British royal household.

Opinion of value

Recorded in the declaration of 23 February 2026

£5 to 10 million

A personal opinion given by Faizan Uddin, grandson of the artist, citing rarity, craftsmanship, materials and historical significance.1

It is the opinion of the person who gave it. It is not a formal valuation, an auction estimate or an asking price.

Notes

  1. Signed declaration by Faizan Uddin, grandson of the artist, dated 23 February 2026. Private addresses and the original document are not reproduced.
  2. Government of India, Padma Awards notification, 1989.
  3. Condé Nast Traveller, Exploring Agra beyond the Taj, 2022.