The 17in (43cm) wide cabinet with brass mounts and swing handles, similar to one which took a hammer price of £22,000 at Christie’s Arts of India sale in London in June 2018, was pitched at £12,000-15,000.
Subject to CITES, and possibly reflecting the current nervousness in the ivory market, it sold at the auction on September 26 to a London collector in the room on the lower figure.
Major draw
Mughal material was also a major draw at Woolley & Wallis (25% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury on October 2.
An ebony and ivory inlaid cabinet on stand had hinged doors revealing a divided interior with a pair of mahogany drawers.
Of mixed heritage, the 20in tall x 3ft 2in wide (51 x 97cm) cabinet was late 17th-early 18th century Gujarat or Sindh but later adapted and lacking its original interior. The 2ft 7in (79cm) tall ebonised stand was probably 18th century English.
Nevertheless, it was a quality item and very attractive with the inlay of flowering plants in alternating patterns on a plain ground characteristic of the reign of Shah Jahan. Against a £3000-5000 estimate, it sold at £8800.
Mughal cabinet on English stand – £8800 at Woolley & Wallis.
Another Mughal Indian item to double expectations was a late 17th-early 18th century rosewood and ivory inlaid casket.
With a domed lid and handle, the 4½in high x 12½in wide (11 x 33cm) item lacked the original divisions to the interior but, pitched at £800-1200, sold at £2500.
