Storage chest, wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl in black lacquer
India, Gujarat; beginning of 17th century
H: 54.2; W: 109.5; D: 53 cm
Inventory number 22/1983
This storage chest is the finest one that has been preserved of a fairly small group of pieces of furniture with mother-of-pearl inlays in lacquer. All come from Gujarat.
The lid is decorated with characteristic spiral ornamentation that helps us date it. An identical mother-of-pearl decoration is namely found on a canopy made in 1608-1609 for the grave of the Sufi sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya, whose monument is in Delhi.
The chest was probably intended for the Ottoman market. The gilded metal fittings feature palmettes of the type favored in Turkey, and the chest’s feet have geometric ornaments that resemble Ottoman inlaying.
The lid is decorated with characteristic spiral ornamentation that helps us date it. An identical mother-of-pearl decoration is namely found on a canopy made in 1608-1609 for the grave of the Sufi sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya, whose monument is in Delhi.
The chest was probably intended for the Ottoman market. The gilded metal fittings feature palmettes of the type favored in Turkey, and the chest’s feet have geometric ornaments that resemble Ottoman inlaying.
Published in
Published in
Kjeld von Folsach: Davids Samling gennem 24 år, 1962-1985 = The David Collection: a 24-year period: 1962-1985, København 1985, pp. 68-69;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no 297;
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan Bloom: The art and architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, New Haven 1994, fig. 382, p. 302;
Kjeld von Folsach, Torben Lundbæk and Peder Mortensen (eds.): Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal: the history and culture of the Islamic world, The National Museum, Copenhagen 1996, cat.no. 308;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 441;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no 297;
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan Bloom: The art and architecture of Islam, 1250-1800, New Haven 1994, fig. 382, p. 302;
Kjeld von Folsach, Torben Lundbæk and Peder Mortensen (eds.): Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal: the history and culture of the Islamic world, The National Museum, Copenhagen 1996, cat.no. 308;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 441;
