An Indo-Portuguese Contador or Standing-Cabinet, Probably Goa, India, Second Half 17th Century

of rectangular form, comprising twelve short drawers, two of which are double depth, the stand with two short and one long and deep drawer, each with ivory handles, decorated throughout with finely inlaid interlacing circular motifs, standing on four large carved female figures carved as mermaids

One handle to top left-hand drawer loose, some small knicks and scratches to surface, some areas with slight possible restoration and re-polishing, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Created from a blend of the traditional Western cabinet-on-stand form with certain ornaments and elements of design particular to the Indian subcontinent, this magnificent standing-cabinet or contador, embodies the outstanding quality of Indo-Portuguese craftsmanship.

The cabinet is decorated throughout with a repeating pattern of interlacing circular motifs, each finely inlaid with ivory and ebony insets in the shape of rotated square and four-pointed stars. This design can be found in a number of articles produced in Portuguese India and is present in a comparable cabinet now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (Jaffer 2002, pp.58-9, no.22). Further similar examples include a contador of similar form published in Pedro Dias, O contador das cena familiares, Porto, 2002, p.57, and a small cabinet exhibited in Lisbon in 2004 (Jorge Flores and Nuno Vassallo e Silva (eds.), Goa and the Great Mughal, Lisbon, 2004, p.111, cat.117).

A close look at each of the stand's legs reveals the sculpted form of women with bindis, who act like Classical caryatids to support the weight of the structure. Some scholars have drawn parallels between similar male and female forms and the Hindu snake divinities known as nagas. These mystical creatures have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea-serpent, and are considered to bring good fortune and protection.

The attribution of this type of furniture to the Portuguese colony of Goa is, as mentioned by Jaffer (op.cit.,p.57) and Fernanda Castro Freire (Fernando Castro Freire, 50 dos Melhores Móveis Portugueses, Lisbon, 1995, p.54), related to the presence of stylistically similar pieces in the Sacristy of the Basílica do Bom Jesus in Old Goa. Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the observation made by chief chronicler António Bocarro, who in 1635 noted the manufacturing of contadores and other furniture of outstanding quality in Tana, a Portuguese settlement in the outskirts of Bombay (António Bocarro, O Livro das plantas de todas as Fortalezas, Cidades e Povoações do Estado da Índia Oriental, (1635), Isabel Cid (ed.), Lisbon, 1992, vol.II, p.115). Dias suggests that the denomination 'of Goa' could actually refer to production in these workshops (Dias, op.cit., pp.57-8).

A similar cabinet sold in these rooms on 6 April 2011, lot 364.