NORTH-WEST INDIA, 18TH CENTURY

Details

AN INDIAN IVORY-INLAID ROSEWOOD CABINET
NORTH-WEST INDIA, 18TH CENTURY
Inlaid overall with flowering branches, within chequer-banded and floral borders, the hinged fall-front enclosing fitted interior with five drawers around a deep drawer
7 in. (18 cm.) high; 11 3/4. in. (30 cm.) wide; 9 in. (23 cm.) deep

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Brought to you by

Carys Bingham

cbingham@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2350

Lot Essay

Cabinets with a similar decorative composition are commonly attributed to Gujarat or Sindh, notably on the basis of contemporary accounts from European travellers to India. According to the Dutch merchant Francisco Pelsaerts, in 1626, Tatta in Sindh, was a centre of manufacture for 'ornamental desks, writing cases [...] very prettily inlaid with ivory and ebony'. Surat in Gujarat, according to James Ovington was a source of 'Desks, Sutores and Boxes neatly polisht and embellisht' in the late 1680's (Amin Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India, London, 2002, p.18.) Similar cabinets of larger scale were often supported on stands for display when they entered western collections (ibid., pp. 62 - 66).
A similar fall-front casket attributed to 17th century North-West India was sold in these Rooms, 25 April 2013, lot 164 (£18,750 including premium).

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