Painted Tibetan 'Dragon' Storage Chest - 18th Century Material - Terracotta Lotus Design - Hand carved

Lotus Design - Hand carved stone from Jaisalmer

The print is #29 entitled 'Hashidate' from a set entitled 'An Excellent Selection of Thirty-six Noted Courtesans (Meigi sanjûroku kasen)

A mix of cedar and teak indicates that it is most likely from Bikaner

and the bleached finish enhances the natural grain of the timber

it is both a fascinating cultural artefact and an attractive decorative piece reflecting Rajasthan’s long tradition of devotional and astrological manuscript painting

Painted Tibetan 'Dragon' Storage Chest - 18th Century Material - Terracotta Lotus Design - Hand carvedTibetan antique furniture with original painting was always unusual to find and incredibly difficult to come by. This very decorative dragon chest is one of our favourite pieces from an excellent quality recently acquired collection. The crimson foreground is decorated in vibrant polychrome pigments with a central quatrefoil panel enclosing a ferocious writhing dragon grasping a flaming pearl amongst scrolling leafy lotus stems, on a floral brocade