THE MOTHER-OF-PEARL INDIAN (GUJARAT),THE MOUNTS PROBABLY ENGLISH, CIRCA 1620

Mother-of-pearl inlaid vessels were highly desirable collectibles in the Kunstkammern across Europe. European historical sources tell us that furniture and other wooden items that were lacquered and inlaid with mother-of-pearl were being created in the 16th century in Northern Gujarat, India. Sets of ewers and basins in the Gujarat mother-of-pearl technique were made for both domestic use and export and are known to have been imported as luxury goods to European royal collections in the 16^th century. These lustrous vessels and containers were made into combined Islamic and Western shapes. As preciously crafted items in such a highly coveted material in the courts of Europe, they were most often on display and seldomly used for dining. Early records give an indication of their esteem, including that of the King of France receiving a mother-of-pearl bed in 1529 and of an inlaid coffer being inventoried in the collection of the Elector of Saxony in 1602.

The inspiration for Gujarati mother-of-pearl production remains unclear. A suggestion is that East Asian examples, such as Korean sutra boxes (caskets with beveled lids, some attributed to the 12th-13th century), were imported to Western India, where the technique was emulated by local craftsmen. The fragile nature of the medium however means that only a few survive today, now almost entirely in museums. For other examples of mother-of-pearl workmanship in Western India, see A. Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet Maker, 2002, cat. nos. 5, 10-14l; and The Heritage of Rauluchnatim, exhibition catalogue, Lisbon, 1996, nos.13 and 14, pp.202-3.