Cabinet
early 17th century (made)
| Place of origin |
This type of portable fall-front cabinet held personal effects. It was an essential item for European merchants and traders living and travelling in Asia. Indian furniture makers, particularly those in centres of luxury woodwork such as Sindh and Gujarat, produced them in quantity. There are many examples with similar decoration of tigers astride a central vase, flanked by hunters. On this example the inlay on the inside face of the fall-front is upside down. This means that when the fall-front is open, the inlay work faces the cabinet rather than the person using it.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Shisham, veneered with rosewood and inlaid with various tropical woods, with brass and wrought iron mounts |
| Brief description | Fall front cabinet of shisham wood, veneered with rosewood and inlaid with various tropical woods, Gujarat or Sindh, early 17th century. |
| Physical description | Fall front cabinet of shisham wood, veneered with rosewood and inlaid with various tropical woods, with brass and wrought iron mounts. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bought (Source not recorded) |
| Object history | Bought for £40 as 'Indian (Panjab)', though now recognised as being typical of the inlaid wooden wares of Gujarat and Sindh. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This type of portable fall-front cabinet held personal effects. It was an essential item for European merchants and traders living and travelling in Asia. Indian furniture makers, particularly those in centres of luxury woodwork such as Sindh and Gujarat, produced them in quantity. There are many examples with similar decoration of tigers astride a central vase, flanked by hunters. On this example the inlay on the inside face of the fall-front is upside down. This means that when the fall-front is open, the inlay work faces the cabinet rather than the person using it. |
| Bibliographic reference | Luxury goods from India : the art of the Indian cabinet maker / Amin Jaffer. London: V&A Publications, 2002 Number: 1851773819
pp.44-45, ill. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 122-1906 |
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| Record created | November 27, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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