λ A WOODEN INDO-PORTUGUESE TORTOISESHELL AND IVORY-INLAID CABINET

Gujarat, North-Western India, 17th century

Of typical rectangular shape, on a flat wooden base, the front panel opening towards the exterior revealing five independent small drawers and a larger one with three independent brass handles, the interior and exterior decorated with exotic marquetry work made of squared and rectangular panels of tortoiseshell laid on gold leaf, encased within ivory frames and geometric fretwork bands, the larger plaques in the centre enhanced with decorative floral brass mountings, two rounded handles to the sides, 20.5cm x 32cm x 21.5cm.

During the Mughal period, a number of similar Gujarati cabinets reached Europe and attracted great admiration. The taste for tortoiseshell-inlaid furniture in Europe pre-dates the Mughal period, and possibly began during the Roman civilisation. However, the flourishing export from India of such exotica pieces in the 17th and 18th centuries revived the Western interest in this material. For comparison, an incredibly similar cabinet is part of the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore (inv. no. 2011.01508), differing from ours only for an extra row of drawers.

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