λ A Spanish colonial tortoiseshell casket

λ A Spanish colonial tortoiseshell casket, with silver and bronze mounts with rosettes and studs, the hinged domed lid engraved with three arches with urns of flowers, the front with a band of scrolling foliage, the sides with panels of a bird and a dog, the back with a pair of trees and birds flanking an inscription ' Se Hizo En La Mui Noble Y Leal Ciudad de Guadalaxara Nuevo Reyno dela Galicia', with a paper lined interior, late 17th century, Mexico, Guadalajara, 9.4cm high, 16.7cm wide, 7.2cm deep.

Provenance: The collection of Lady Ottoline Morrell and thence by descent.

The inscription translates to "Made in the very noble and loyal city of Guadalajara, (capital of) the New Kingdom of Galicia." Nueva Galicia was named by Queen Joanna and it was an autonomous kingdom of the colonial territory of the Spanish Empire. The Spanish exploration of the area started in 1531 with Nuno Beltran de Guzman, who chose the name Guadalajara for the capital after his place of birth in Spain.