Indo-Portuguese cabinet, Lahore region, 17th century

Important and precious cabinet in "sisso d'Albergia" wood veneer inlaid with ivory fillets on all sides.
It opens with a vertical flap that reveals ten drawers; the central drawer decorated with a representation of the goddess Shiva, recognizable by her multiple arms.
The interior of the sandalwood drawers.

Very good state of preservation.

Mughal work from the middle of the 17th century, marketed in Europe by Portuguese merchants.

Dimensions:

Width: 66cm; Depth: 40cm; Height: 40cm

Our opinion :

The cabinet that we present is particularly rare, because it mixes Islamic influences with Hindu influences.
The subtlety of the foliage is characteristic of the purest architecture of the Mughal empire that can be found on the arcades with multiple projections of the Badshahi mosque or the fort of the city of Lahore which will be the capital of the empire under Akbar 1st (1542-1605).
His reign will be that of the conquests of Gujarat, Sindh, or even Kashmir and will offer the empire significant prosperity, in particular thanks to a perfect organization and a religious tolerance which will allow good understanding among its citizens but also with the various European embassies who came to meet him.
If many cabinets were produced on the west coast of India to be exported to Europe, rare are those produced higher up in the Punjab region which brings together
yet the quintessence of Mughal architecture.
It is quite possible that this type of object was rather produced for the domestic market as indicated by the foliage of the drawers which symbolize the famous Ax which armed the Mughal warriors.
The Lahore region had significant forest resources due to its proximity to the Himalayan range and the finest woods, such as this black variety of "Sissoo dalbergia", were used by the craftsmen of the city.
If the purity and the plasticity of our cabinet does not suffer from any defect, the presence of a very fragrant sandalwood, especially when it is hot, brought a more interesting which very much pleased the European courts.