Teak, Ebony and Ivory
Mughal India, 16/17th century
8 x 34 x 14,5 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York

A very fine and rare Mughal box made for the export trade. The teak structure is overlaid with ebony and inlaid with natural and red and green stained ivory. The hunting scenes derived from a Persian decorative grammar depict European figures, dressed in contemporary European attire in a naturalistic setting, amongst trees, birds, deer and tigers.
This is an early example of this type of export ware. The shape of the box and the freeze at the base relate to the earlier mother of pearl inlay in black lack type of work produced in Gujarat.

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