λ A SET OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL-INLAID WOODEN CHAIRS AND TABLE MADE FOR THE EXPORT MARKET

Possibly Ottoman Provinces or France, 18th - 19th century

Comprising two chairs with mihrab backs and faceted baluster legs, inlaid with stained wood Westernised acanthus scrolls and mother-of-pearl pseudo-calligraphic tughra-like roundels, further diamond and cube trellis borders and star-shaped decorative bands around the edges, with padded seats and backs, lined with red velvet and embroidered with cream and metal threads with scrolls and inscription roundels, each 97.8cm high; and an oval table supported on four legs with cross-bar and support arcade, with vegetal scrolls framing the side panels and table top edge, inlaid with stained wood acanthus scrolls bordered by a two-tone fretwork band of mother-of-pearl cubes, the central section lined in red velvet and embroidered with cream and metal threads, with a central pseudo-calligraphic roundel surrounded by lush arabesque scrolls, 110cm x 74cm.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire interlaced several connections, of both diplomatic and mercantile nature, with several European countries, such as France, Spain, Italy and Bohemia (Czech Republic). This furniture set embodies the fruitful merging of Ottoman and Western design ideas, motifs, and methods of craftsmanship, as well as furniture use.

The stylised pseudo-calligraphic roundels hint at a European origin, as Western carpenters were unfamiliar with Arabic calligraphy. The design of the table and of the chairs is also in tune with Western canons. Nevertheless, the motifs and the heavy use of materials considered exotic in the Western lands, such as mother-of-pearl and silk velvets, support a strong connection with Ottoman furniture and interior decor.