Travelling Cabinet on Stand
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Fall-front cabinets of this shape held personal effects. They were a basic requirement for European merchants and traders living and travelling in Asia. From about 1500 to 1650 these cabinets were intended to be portable. This particular example shows how in about 1650 to 1700 these cabinets changed into larger showpieces intended for display on a stand. The increase in size was matched by an improvement in the quality of the inlay in workshops in Gujarat and Sindh. This is where this piece was made. The decoration on cabinets of this period also shows the influence of Mughal painting. The taste for full-blown flowering plants reached its height in the reigns of Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1628-1658). The exterior of the cabinet has formal decoration of such plants. The interior has intricate inlay of seated courtiers, acrobats, musicians and dancing figures drawn from popular provincial Mughal painting.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 25 parts.
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| Brief description | Travelling cabinet on stand, wood and ivory, Gujarat, late 17th century |
| Physical description | Fall front travelling cabinet of wood veneered with rosewood, inlaid with ivory, with silver filigree drop handles, iron hinges and lock plate and brass escutcheon. The stand is made of wood stained black. The cabinet is decorated with acrobats, dancers and musicians. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | The cabinet is decorated with acrobats, dancers and musicians suggesting that it was intended for a European market. |
| Summary | Fall-front cabinets of this shape held personal effects. They were a basic requirement for European merchants and traders living and travelling in Asia. From about 1500 to 1650 these cabinets were intended to be portable. This particular example shows how in about 1650 to 1700 these cabinets changed into larger showpieces intended for display on a stand. The increase in size was matched by an improvement in the quality of the inlay in workshops in Gujarat and Sindh. This is where this piece was made. The decoration on cabinets of this period also shows the influence of Mughal painting. The taste for full-blown flowering plants reached its height in the reigns of Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1628-1658). The exterior of the cabinet has formal decoration of such plants. The interior has intricate inlay of seated courtiers, acrobats, musicians and dancing figures drawn from popular provincial Mughal painting. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.44&A-1972 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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