Bidspirit auction | A wood and mother-of-pearl inlaid

A wood and mother-of-pearl inlaid scribe box - A wood and mother-of-pearl inlaid scribe box Probably India, Gujarat, 17th century Wooden desk accessory inlaid with mother-of-pearl forming intertwined split palmettes on the sides. The hinged, flip-up lid is decorated with bismillah in the nasta'liq calligraphic style flanked by two eight-pointed stars. The nailed inlay technique of the mother-of-pearl is typically Indian and the Islamic and Persian-style calligraphy place the object in the production of the sultanates of the subcontinent. For comparison cfr. Skelton R., The Indian Heritage, Court Life and Arts under Mughal Rule, Londra, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982, cat. n. 549 p. 162. Another similarly decorated pencase is treasured at the David Collection, Copenhagen, Acc. no. 35/1976 31 X 8.5 X 9.3 cm