TURKEY Ottoman, Istanbul, late 17th century - Lot 202

TURKEY Ottoman, Istanbul, late 17th century Rectangular writing scribe's box resting on four feet, in wood covered with mother-of-pearl marquetry, tortoiseshell, green-tinted wood filet, bone, and embellished with turquoise stones. The sliding lid is decorated with a pendentive mandorla featuring a turquoise medallion in the center. Lock with key. Interior lined with garnet-red damask fabric with a storage compartment. (Condition: numerous chips and old restorations. The turquoise stones were applied during a restoration and are not original). Length: 34 cm; Width: 17.5 cm. Height Height : 18 cm The Islamic Arts Department of the Musée du Louvre recently acquired by donation a late 17th-century Ottoman scribe's writing-table belonging to the Marquis Louis François de Monteynard (1713-1791), of very similar format, size and decoration (inv. no. RFML.AI.2021.14.1.2) (published in A. Renard and L. Soustiel, Autour de l'Art Turc, Paris, 2011, cat. 25, p. 28, and Musée du Louvre press release, June 2021). It is currently on display in the Galerie du Temps at the Louvre-Lens. The dating of the present casket is based on that indicated for the Louvre casket, but it could just as easily date from the 18th century, as the date of this type of casket is difficult to pin down, as their production was maintained in Constantinople for a long period. Expert: Laure Soustiel (SFEP expert). laure@soustiel.com. Tel: 06 09 47 27 31