A RARE INDO-PORTUGUESE MOTHER OF PEARL CASKET
£4,000 - £6,000
A RARE INDO-PORTUGUESE MOTHER OF PEARL CASKET
GUJARAT, LATE 17TH / EARLY 18TH CENTURY
of sarcophagus form and with silver and enamel hinges, handle and escutcheon
13.2cm high, 20.2cm wide, 12.7cm deep
Catalogue Note
From the medieval period onward, Gujarat, particularly coastal centres like Cambay (Khambhat) and Surat, was one of India’s most cosmopolitan trading regions. It was the centre of production for a variety of articles decorated with or fashioned from mother-of-pearl, including: basins and ewers, maces and caskets. For similar objects from Gujarat which can be seen in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London see A. Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-maker, pp. 22-24 and Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Exotica: The Portuguese discoveries and the Renaissance Kunstkammer, pp. 133-134.