This fall-front writing box is made from exotic wood, veneered in ivory and beautifully mottled tortoiseshell (from the dorsal scutes of the hawksbill sea turtle or Eretmochelys imbricata) and set with silver fittings (lock plates, fish-shaped drawer pulls and two sturdy side handles). The exterior sides, and the interior of the fall-front, follow a carpet-like decoration, with a central rectangular field in tortoiseshell bordered by raised ivory mouldings, and a wide tortoiseshell border made from rectangular tortoiseshell plaques, all held with silver pins; the edges of the writing box have stepped carved ivory mouldings. The interior is fitted with seven drawers (one simulating three on the top tier) set in three tiers with a large square drawer at the centre (with an Islamic-style arched border made from ivory), which is fitted with its own lock. The fronts of the drawers are veneered in tortoiseshell also pinned in silver and feature carved ivory mouldings. The most extraordinary aspect of the present writing box resides in its construction, since all of the drawers are made from solid plaques of ivory, making it truly exceptional for the richness of its material. The drawers are fitted in the interior with ivory brackets in the front corners, following the same Islamic design seen on the square central drawer. Very few pieces with their drawers made from solid ivory survive. The present writing cabinet was modelled after European prototypes and is a portable object which ranks among the most prestigious pieces of storage furniture from the sixteenth century. Such costly pieces were known in Germany as a schreibtisch or "writing desk". The hinged front drops down to form a surface for writing, while the many drawers gave access to what was kept in the cabinet’s multiple compartments, such as documents, writing implements, or even jewels. This type of luxurious piece of furniture was prevalent in the interior furnishings of European noble and patrician households and portable cabinets of this type were a basic requirement of European officials, merchants and traders living and travelling in Asia. Small, precious writing cabinets and boxes made in Asia with exotic and expensive materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory were much admired and avidly sought after in Europe due not only to their appealing design but also to their technical perfection. As is known from documentary evidence, namely contemporary travel accounts, the production of this type of furniture was based in north-western India, namely the coastal regions of Gujarat and Sindh (in present-day Pakistan), which were long-standing centres of production of luxury goods, and where firmly established merchant communities from the Middle East, South-East Asia and Europe lived and worked.
