Provenance: From Elvaston Castle, seat of the Earls of Harrington before 1945;

Brockenhurst Park, former seat of the Morant Family in Hampshire until;

Sold in a UK auction house, 2009.

With two glazed doors enclosing 11 exceptionally carved drawers with floral and vine patterns richly decorating them, ebony and ivory inlaid drawer divisions and resting on square legs, this is a fascinating composite piece of furniture showcasing fine Indian woodcarving and handicraft with 18th century English taste and sensibility in furniture styles. The cabinet is likely to have been adapted in the mid-18th century, with the addition of the fruitwood doors and the stand. The drawers and the floral carved designs would have been part of the original Indian cabinet. The cabinet has brass handles on the sides which are likely to be later additions as well. The 18th century additions to the cabinet showcases the desire to not only preserve the Indian handiwork and the admiration for it but also to adapt it in a way that extended its life.