A small rectangular filigree trunk shaped casket of scroll andopenwork design.Round topped coffer of parallelepiped case, supportedon four round feet, with two side handles and blossoming lotusflower lock.The dense decorative scheme covers the entirety of thecase, consisting of juxtaposed rectangular plaques, each filled bya four-petalled flower, and outlined by double thread curved zigzaggingbands. The filigree design employs thick square-sectionwire for the structural framework, in deliberate contrast to thefine twisted wires used for the infill.The handles are designed as two large inverted and juxtaposedcommas suspended from a hollowed ring. The casket standson four rounded feet each formed by superimposed roundedcorollae.The filigree decoration of this unique and precious objectmay be regarded as characteristic of filigree produced for export bya Chinese artisan from southern China or the Philippines in theseventeenth century. Its substantial weight is likewise a definingfeature of this production, standing in contrast to the lighter piecesproduced in Goa.1
1.Crespo, Hugo Miguel, Jóias da Carreira da índia, p. 135.