MURSHIDABAD, INDIA, LATE 18TH CENTURY

The species of lemur depicted on the lid of this box is endemic to Madagascar. The depiction of such an animal on an Indian box shows the strong commercial links the Indian Ocean routes enabled. Lemurs were very probably brought back as fancy pets by wealthy Indian merchants settled in or plying the trade routes to Mauritius via the eastern African coast and Madagascar. The taste for exotic animals is well attested in provincial Mughal India, with menageries created in Murshidabad, Lucknow and Calcutta at the end of the 18th century. The numerous mica plates of this game are painted in a style that is close to that of Murshidabad after 1760-1780 AD. The depiction of this lemur, particularly vivid and accurate is strongly influenced by European paintings however. It recalls the best examples of Company School works such as the famous paintings commissioned by Colonel Gentil, Major Rind or Lady Impey - with the notable difference that the present box would certainly be one of the earliest examples of the type.