λ AN OTTOMAN MOTHER-OF-PEARL, TORTOISESHELL AND BONE-INLAID WOODEN LOW CABINET
Possibly Ottoman Syria or Turkey, 19th century

Of rectangular shape, resting on four bracket feet, marquetry inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and bone tesserae over a wooden structure, each side richly decorated with geometric interlacing, chevron, and foliate motifs, the top featuring a central cusped cartouche with an engraved mother-of-pearl panel with Sufi vessels like kashkuls and staff, possibly a later, unrelated addition, flanked by stylised vegetal panels and framed with linear inlay bands withf hexagonal and ogival geometric forms, the drawer fronts and lift-up top revealing a practical compartmentalised internal stationary storage space.

50cm x 26cm x 25.5cm

This type of inlaid cabinets are usually associated with Ottoman Syria — particularly Damascus — reflecting the finest traditions of 19th-century Islamic marquetry. The use of tortoiseshell veneer, in combination with mother-of-pearl and camel bone, was characteristic of luxury furniture produced in regional workshops, often for export or elite Ottoman clientele.

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