Indo-Portuguese piece of Mughal influence, 17th century

Structure in teak, encircled with a band of inlaid Ceylon lemon wood, pau-santo from India, natural and stained ivory and inlaid metallic thread. Ivory drawer handles. Fittings in gilded brass.

Produced in the north of India, in the region of the Great Mughal, this writing box adheres to a formal structure very close to that of European models, which would undoubtedly have been taken on Portuguese ships. It is a box that opens at the front, by means of a catch, to become a writing surface. Inside, it appears to have eight drawers, although in reality there are only six, intended to hold writing materials and documents, but also serving as a coffer in which to keep small precious objects such as jewellery or relics.

With their intellectual curiosity and cultural policies, the Mughals were able to create a space of tolerance and harmonisation of different cultures, particularly that of the Persians. It is therefore no surprise that the decoration on this writing box reinterprets the naturalism of Persian art, with people and animals dispersed among backgrounds of dense vegetation, framed by bands of lotus stems and flowers. Sophisticated materials and techniques were used to achieve this: inlays of different exotic woods, metal and ivory, the latter sometimes stained green to emphasise the trees. Demonstrating the refinement of the Mughal workshops, the detailed sgraffito accentuates the expressiveness of the figures and animals.