DavidsSamlingGennem24År

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.

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.

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