71 / 76
2 2 /1 9 8 3 O p b e v a r in g s k is te
G u ja ra t, In d ie n , ca. 161 0
O s tin d is k tr æ s o r t, la k , p e r le m o r s a m t f o r g y ld t
m e s s in g . H :5 4 , L :1 0 9 , B :5 3
S k r iv e k a b in e tte r, s p ille b ræ tte r, s m å b o r d e o g k i
s te r a f træ in d la g t m e d p e r le m o r i s o r t la k v a r så
a lm in d e lig e i d e t 17. å r h u n d re d e s In d ie n , a t e n
e u r o p æ is k r e js e n d e k u n n e s k riv e : » ...a t d e r n æ s te n
ik k e e r e t e n e s te s te d i d isse la n d e , h v o r d e ik k e
e r« . D e g jo rd e sig d o g o g s å s o m e k s p o r tv a r e r o g
A b u ’l F azl s k r iv e r i sin A ’in -i A k b a r i, a t d e o fte
v a r u d f ø r t e fte r p e rs is k e , ty r k is k e o g e u ro p æ is k e
fo rb ille d e r, s a m t a t f y r s te n d ø m m e t G u ja r a t v a r
c e n tr u m fo r tilv irk n in g e n .
I d a g e r » la k a rb e jd e r« fra d e n o m ta lte p e r io d e
d o g u h y r e sjæ ld n e . D e t s k ifte n d e in d is k e k lim a
h a r v æ re t h å r d t m o d tr æ o g lak , o g p e r le m o r e t er
o fte s p r u n g e t af, så le d e s a t d e b e d s t b e v a re d e e k
s e m p la r e r a f d e n n e ty p e k u n s th å n d v æ r k e r d e m ,
d e r fo r å r h u n d r e d e r s id e n e k s p o rte re d e s til E u r o
pa.
K is te n i D a v id s S a m lin g in d e h o ld e r e t e u r o p æ
is k b a k k e s y s te m , m e n e lle rs e r d e t in d r e in ta k t
m e d e n k le d e k o r a tio n e r m a le t p å r ø d b u n d . K i
s te n s y d e r s id e r e r d æ k k e t a f e t e n s a rte t m ø n s te r
b e s tå e n d e a f stilis e re d e b lo m s te r o g b la d s ly n g , o g
lå g e t e r e n frie re o g e n d n u m e d f a n ta s tis k v a r ia tio n
a f d e tte .
E n b a ld a k in o v e r S h a ik h N iz a m u d d in A u liy a ’s
g r a v i D e lh i m in d e r så m e g e t o m v o r k iste , a t d e t
e r r im e lig t at h e n f ø re d e to til s a m m e tid o g o p r in
d e ls e s ste d . B a ld a k in e n e r d a te r e t 1 6 0 8 -9 , o g g iv e
r e n S h a ik h F a rid B u k h a r i v a r p å d e n tid k e js e r
J a h a n g ir s g u v e r n ø r o v e r G u ja ra t, h v o r b a ld a k in e n
u d e n tv iv l e r fo rfæ rd ig e t.
22/1983 Storage chest
Gujarat, India ca. 1610
East Indian wood, lacquer, mother-of-pearl and gilt
brass. H:54, L:109, W:53
Writing cabinets, game boards, small tables and chests of
wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl in black lacquer were
so
common in 17th century India that an European
traveller was able to write that “there is hardly a place
in this country where they are not to be found”. They
also proved successful as export articles, and Abu’l Fazl
writes in his
A ’in - i A k b a r i
that they were often
executed after Persian, Turkish and European models,
likewise that the kingdom of Gujarat was the centre for
their production.
Today, lacquer-work of the period in question is un
usually rare: the variable Indian climate has been hard
on wood, and lacquer and mother-of-pearl has often
flaked off, with the result that the best preserved exam
ples of this type of craftsmanship are those which were
exported to Europe centuries ago.
The chest in the David Collection contains a Euro
pean tray system, but otherwise the interior is intact and
has simple decorations on a red ground. The external
surfaces of the chest are covered by a uniform pattern
consisting of stylized flowers and intertwining foliage,
and the lid carries afreer and even more fantastic varia
tion on this theme.
A canopy over Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya’s tomb
in Delhi is so similar to our chest that it is reasonable to
ascribe both of them to the same period and place of
origin. The canopy is dated 1608-9, and the donor,
Shaikh Farid Bukhari, was at that time Emperor
fahangir’s governor of Gujarat, where the canopy was
undoubtedly made.
68