Ebony (Dyospirus ebenum) veneered, teak (Tectona grandis) cabinet of sumptuous East Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia), teak, ivory and green dyed bone inlaid decorative compositions, fixed to the box structure by small brass pins.Modelled after European prototypes, these 16th century portable cabinets ranked amongst the most valued furniture of their age. With four drawers stacked over three tiers, each with its own lock, but simulating nine for symmetry, this type of box was destined to store a myriad of objects such as documents, writing paraphernalia, jewels or other valuable treasures. Its scalloped and pierced gilt copper fittings, comprising eight corner brackets, two side handles and nine lock escutcheons, are characteristic of contemporary Goan furniture production. In addition to these elements, the cabinet’s front is also ornamented by parallel and transversal rows of equidistant dome-shaped gilt copper tacks.The dense and sophisticated marquetry decorative motifs, consisting of symmetrical designs of flowers and foliage, repeated on each real and simulated drawer front, expand into large carpet-like compositions on the cabinet’s lateral and rear elevations. Evolving from a central field with flowering vases set in symmetry, from which emerge a profusion of branches of Iranian origin, with foliage and stylised flowers, star-shaped rosettes and fan-shaped carnations interspersed with long-tailed birds, this exuberant, yet harmonious arrangement is achieved by the combination of the various exotic timbers with the ivory and green dyed bone elements. A narrow border of hexafoil rosettes alternating teak and ivory, frames these large panels.On the top surface an additional carpet-like composition, in this instance featuring a wide border of floral and foliage scrolls combined with large, star-shaped rosettes and frilled carnations, with nagini at the corner angles. In the smaller central frame an exuberant flower vase, from which sprout carnations.Luxurious furnishings were essential items in the decorating of the European elite’ homes, and exotic portable table top cabinets such as this, were also indispensable in the daily lives of European officials and others settled or travelling in Asia.1 Small yet expensive, these objects were made with exotic and valuable raw materials, and much admired and desired in Europe, for their perceived sophistication and technical accomplishment.Given that extant 16th century Portuguese records refer the village of Thane – now absorbed by metropolitan Mumbai (Bombay) – as a place renowned for its large community of Muslim craftsmen that produced precious marquetry furniture, it is possible that this cabinet might have originated from that production centre, then located in a Portuguese ruled territory.21 See Amin Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India. The Art of the Cabinet-Maker, London, V&A Publications, 2002; and Pedro Dias, Mobiliário Indo-Português, Moreira de Cónegos, Imaginalis, 2006.2 On Portuguese-ruled Thane, see Sidh Losa Mendiratta, “Two Towns and a Villa. Baçaim, Chaul and Taná: The Defensive Structure of Three Indo-Portuguese Settlements in Northern Province of the EstadoThis table cabinet belongs to an exceptional and exclusive group of rare early furniture, made for the Portuguese market, which has only recently been identified in regards to its geographical origin, decorative inspirational sources (Iranian, Ottoman and European) and historic production context.3Hugo Miguel CrespoCentre for History, University of LisbonBibliography:CRESPO, Hugo Miguel, Choices, Lisboa, AR-PAB, 2016.CRESPO, Hugo Miguel, India in Portugal. A Time of Artistic Confluence (cat.), Porto, Bluebook, 2021.DIAS, Pedro, Mobiliário Indo-Português, Moreira de Cónegos, Imaginalis, 2006.JAFFER, Amin, Luxury Goods from India. The Art of the Cabinet-Maker, London, V&A Publications, 2002.MENDIRATTA, Sidh Losa, “Two Towns and a Villa. Baçaim, Chaul and Taná: The Defensive Structure of Three Indo-Portuguese Settlements in Northern Province of the Estado da Índia”, in Yogesh Sharma, Pius Malenkandathil