A Mughal marquetry wood Chest India, early 17th Century
£6,000 - £8,000
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Aston Hall in the West Midlands was built by Sir Thomas Holte between 1618 and 1635 and was one of the last Jacobean buildings to be built in England. The Holte estate was sold in 1817 and leased to the eldest son of the engineer James Watt between 1819 and 1848. After his death in 1848, the property was sold to the Corporation of Birmingham. The contents of Aston Hall were dispersed by sale in 1817 and 1849, and only a few of the original contents remain.
This chest is from a group of 16th and 17th Century furniture that is believed to originate in Western India, specifically the coastal regions of Gujerat and Sind. This furniture was made to suit the tastes of the Dutch, Portuguese and British settlers that were in India since the late 15th Century. Many examples were exported to Europe. They were highly prized and found their way into royal collections, ecclesiastical treasuries and stately homes. For a discussion of the subject, see Amin Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker, London, 2002.