Mother-of-pearl Casket. India, Gujarat, 16th Century. Mother-of-pearl, gilded silver, wood.

The first thought that came into my mind when I saw this particular casket was, “Whoa that’s something that you would find in the Game of Thrones set.” Because the plaques make it looks like as if dragon scales adorned the casket instead of mother-of-pearl.  It looks very ancient and alien, yet very eye-catching. The glistening effect that the mother-of-pearl plaques that cover the surface of the casket caused are probably one of the most prominent reasons why. As light shone upon the casket, the plaques reflect the lights to various color spectrums, creating rainbow-colored reflections, which makes the whole object looks luxurious and expensive. This particular casket most likely was owned by a rich persona in the past

But, then again, it looks very ancient and alien, yet very eye-catching for me. The glistening effect that the mother-of-pearl plaques that cover the surface of the casket caused are probably one of the most prominent reasons why. As light shone upon the casket, the plaques reflect the lights to various color spectrums, creating rainbow-colored reflections, which makes the whole object stands out. Not to mention it looks luxurious and expensive enough to make me think it was owned by a rich persona in the past. The gilded silvers that support the plaques were also playing a part in making the casket looks luxurious. The center lock is decorated with engravings of floral motifs, and so is the appliques at the sides, hence the evidently European influence in mother-of-pearl goods from Gujarat.

However, it’s very interesting that although it was made in India, it looks more of a European object for me — hence, Game of Thrones. Turns out in the 16th Century, artisans in India, specifically in Gujarat, improved and specialized in making luxury goods out of mother-of-pearls and their target customer was none other than Europeans. The mother-of-pearl goods were exported to Europe and sold at a very high price. Not sure whether the goods were used as daily life objects or only for display, because if it was me, I would probably keep it displayed behind the glass because it was too pretty to be used. But, if it was used as a daily life furniture, I would say it was used to keep small objects in it, such as jewelry, gold, etc — considering the size of the casket. And since there’s a keyhole on it, indicates that it is used to keep valuable objects and only certain people could have access to it.