A FINE INDO PORTUGUESE GUJARAT MOTHER OF PEARL CASKET probably 16th/17th century, of rectangular form on four feet with canted lid, decorated with mother of pearl secured with pins. 28 cm x 18 cm x 14 cm. Note: In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Gujarat was the centre of production for a variety of articles decorated with or fashioned from mother-of-pearl. A few examples of these luxury goods that were produced for both the international and domestic market include caskets, ceremonial maces and ewers. Similar objects from Gujarat which can be seen in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Meum in London see A. Jaffer, Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-maker, London, 2002, pp. 22-24 and Calote Gulbenkian Meum, Exotica: The Portuguese discoveries and the Renaissance Kunstkrammer, Lisbon, 2001, pp. 133-134. Note: See Lot 354, Sotheby's London, 6th April 2011 for a near identical casket.