The cabinet’s decorative scheme demonstrates the influence of Visakhapatnam’s textile industry on furniture production in the port. Dense foliated patterns and palm tree motifs on the panelled doors invoke designs for Chintz fabrics that were popular across Europe in this period.
Furniture of this type was not made for the export market and was instead probably produced for East India Company civil servants living on the Indian subcontinent. Anglo-Indian furnishings were often brought back to Britain by East India Company personnel, with some pieces being dispersed through gift or sale.
It is probable that this cabinet entered Kingston Lacy’s collection through George Bankes (1787–1856), who became Commissioner of the India Board in 1829 and was appointed to the select committee on the East India Company in 1831.
This was a period of heightening interest in Indian art and design; India was then the centre of the British Empire, and its manufactures were later promoted at international exhibitions such as the 1851 Great Exhibition.
Historic ivory
Today, the use of ivory for decorative purposes is difficult to understand. Nevertheless, ivory has been used in cultural production for thousands of years, appearing in both luxury and utilitarian goods in Europe, Asia and Africa.
As a material, ivory was prized for its softness of lustre, lightness of colour and smoothness of texture. Artisans valued its durability and elasticity, finding it suitable for carving, turning, engraving and for use as a veneer.
From as early as the second half of the 17th century, ivory-inlaid furniture became the specialism of Visakhapatnam craftspeople, when it began attracting European interest and buyers.