An Indian Painted Gaming Cabinet, Gujarat, 17th-18th Century

the rectangular wooden body opening up at the front to reveal two hinged cubic sections each with four and five drawers, the central section comprising eight drawers, each painted and varnished with palm motifs with a red and gold border, the exterior painted throughout with vignettes featuring figures engaged in courtly activities, notably hunting and feasting, the sides with foliate hinges, and handles, on a splayed coffered base decorated with cartouches containing leopards attacking deer, secured at the front by a foliate catch and lock, old collection label to base

Overall good condition, some ware consistent with age and use, as viewed.
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The amusing painted designs on the surface of the present cabinet are expressive of its purpose as a gaming cabinet. A similar cabinet, also painted in bright colours with figures and foliate motifs, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. IS 14201984) and dated to the seventeenth century (illustrated in Jaffer 2002, p.24). It is attributed to the region of Gujarat, which at that time was famed for its production of Western-style furniture and painted furniture. Gaming cabinets such as the present example are also comparable in form to the better-known portable fall-front cabinets created in Gujarat which Amin Jaffer links to a Western market, citing references made by contemporary European chroniclers to their exportation (Jaffer 2002, p.31). It is possible that the present cabinet was created as a special commission, or for export, where it would have been prized for its exotic decoration.