This rare fall-front writing cabinet, now missing its original lid, was made in Gujarat for the Portuguese market in the second half of the 16th century. Assembled in teak (Tectona grandis), it is lavishly veneered in ebony (Dyospiros ebenum), rather than in the more common East Indian rosewood, inlaid with teak, ivory and green-dyed bone marquetry motifs and ornamented with gilt copper fittings that include side handles and drawer pulls, as well as a central lock-plate shaped as a double-headed eagle or gandabherund – a Hindu mythological bird believed to possess magical strength and the power to ward off evil. Similarly to its contemporary congeners, its shape reflects a European prototype that ranked highly amongst prestigious 16th century pieces of storage furniture.The missing hinged front would open to reveal a writing surface and the multiple drawers for storing writing paraphernalia and all kinds of smaller treasured objects. Such utilitarian objects made in the Orient with exotic raw materials became highly desirable in Europe both due to their decorative appeal and technical sophistication. The production of this type of furniture was based in north-western India, namely in Gujarat. The lateral elevations, as well as the cabinet’s top panel, are characterised by a central composition with floral scrolls of Timurid (Persian) origin, set in double symmetry. These decorative elements, comprising large stylized lotus flowers derived from Chinese ceramics and textile patterns skilfully outlined by fine metallic thread, a detail rare in this production, are closely related to the contemporary Gujarati furniture production with mother-of-pearl inlays on a dark mastic ground. The wide border “S” shaped motifs of zoomorphic terminals, used solely on the cabinet’s top panel, are rare elements in this production that are also present on the altar front, converted into a table top, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. IS.15 -1882). Another object from the same museum (inv. 18-1897) and identical origin, a writing cabinet also missing its fall-front, does feature a border with the same type of “S” shaped motif on the top panel.In clear contrast, the back panel features a central ground with five flowering trees alternating with four vultures pecking their chests, the jatayuh, another apotropaic figure of similar symbolic value to the double-headed eagle or gandabherund.The cabinet is fitted with nine drawers over four tiers with a larger central square drawer. While the decorative motifs on the fronts of the smaller drawers consist of symmetrically arranged flowering plants and birds, including pea hens, the central drawer front features a large flowering tree flanked by a couple in Islamic attire, a detail that reinforces the cabinet’s matrimonial association. On the left hand side the male figure is wearing jama (coat), pay-jama (tight-fitting pants), patka (waist sash) and kulahdar (small turban), and, on the right, the female in ghaghra (long pleated skirt), odhani (long veil) and choli (blouse).
Hugo Miguel Crespo
Centre for History, University of Lisbon
Bibliography:
CRESPO, Hugo Miguel, Choices, Lisboa, AR-PAB, 2016.
CRESPO, Hugo Miguel, India in Portugal. A Time of Artistic Confluence (cat.), Porto, Bluebook, 2021.
JAFFER, Amin, Luxury Goods from India. The Art of the Cabinet-Maker, London, V&A Publications, 2002.