North-West India, second half of the 17th century
Wood veneered in teak, ebony and engraved ivory
H. 26.5 cm; W. 43 cm; D. 32.5 cm
Musée du Louvre, DAI, acquired 1996,
MAO 1188

This cabinet which opens to reveal a number of different-sized drawers behind the flat front belongs to a well-known group of objects originating in Europe, including in particular sixteenth century European writing desks. This one is characteristic of those produced in North-West India (Gujarat and Sindh), but similar examples were also made for the same kind of patrons in other regions of Asia – Ceylon, China and Japan.
The treatment of the drawers stands in contrast to that of the rest of the cabinet; they are veneered in ivory with incised waving floral fronds – and in the case of the central drawer, a flowering bush – all highlighted in black. On the other hand, the outside panels and the inside of the front side are adorned with a marquetry of ivory motifs set in a ground of light brown teakwood alternating with dark brown ebony. Each panel is framed by a frieze of open flowers; in the central part of the panel, flowering tufts, which appear at first sight naturalistic, are arranged (height and spacing) in a conventional manner, springing up from a small, rounded, and very formalized monticule. This mixture of naturalism and convention is reminiscent of the floral style which reached its maturity under Shah Jahan. However, the more systematic formalism suggests a later production, probably the second half of the seventeenth century.