This exceptionally fine piece of furniture was made at Vizagapatam, a port town on the east coast of India where from the early 18th century craftsmen applied their traditional wood and ivory-working skills to the production of furniture for western consumers. Miniature bureau-cabinets of this type were standard manufactures of Vizagapatam workshops but usually they were made of wood and totally veneered with ivory. This piece is rendered even more unusual in that has a matching stand, the only one known of its type.