~90 AN INDO-PORTUGUESE IVORY AND BONE-INLAID CABINET ON STAND (CONTADOR) PROBABLY GOA, <strong>INDIA</strong>, 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURY The chest of rectangular form with four rows of three drawers, the stand with four large drawers, the square section legs deeply carved with European ecclesiastical fgures with bulging eyes and marked traits amidst volutes and scrolls, the surfaces and drawer fronts all covered with stellar motifs within roundels forming a latticed design, with openwork copper-alloy mounts 58 x 43º x 23¡in. (147.3 x 109.8 x 59.4cm.) £25,000-35,000 $36,000-50,000 €32,000-44,000 The pattern of intersecting circles that covers the surfaces is closely comparable to a similar cabinet in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Amin Jafer, Luxury Goods from India, London, 2002, no. 22, pp. 58-9, inv.777-1865). It is a commonly reproduced motif and can also be found on a small cabinet in Lisbon (Jorge Flores da Nuno Vassallo e Silva (eds.), Goa and the Great Mughal (exhibition catalogue), Lisbon, 2004, p.111, cat.117). Jafer writes of the pattern that it is also found on articles commissioned by the Portuguese in other parts of Asia - for instance on the namban lacquer of Japan (Jafer, op. cit., p. 58). A closely related cabinet sold at Sotheby’s London, 6 April 2011, lot 364, another sold at Christie’s, London, 10 June 2015, lot 19. ~91 AN IVORY-INLAID WOOD CABINET GUJARAT OR SINDH, NORTH WEST <strong>INDIA</strong>, LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY Of rectangular form, each side inlaid with fne cusped cartouches and medallions within lobed quatrefoils, the hinged fall-front panel opening to reveal six drawers, the inlaid decoration consisting of micromosaic stellar motifs within radiating roundels, the fall-front fap inlaid with an elegant foral lattice, each corner with further similar micromosaic patterns, the functioning lock worked as two adorsed peacocks, a cross above, with key 12 x 19 x 13in. (30.5 x 48.3 x 33cm.) £7,000-10,000 $10,000-14,000 €8,800-12,000 A closely related fall-front cabinet with exquisitely simple exterior decoration and lavishly inlaid interior is published in Global India, Francesca Galloway, 2009, cat. 10. The type of micromosaic decoration, the distribution of the drawers and the fnely cut out brass lock-plates are very similar. That example is attributed to Gujarat or Sindh and is dated to the late 16th or early 17th century. The present piece is slightly larger however. For further comparables see also Amin Jafer, Luxury Goods from India, The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker, London, 2002, cat. 3, 4, 7 and 8. 62
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