STRUCTURAL FEATURES: This wooden chair with simple arms and a horizontal splat along the back has a more or less flat surface in order to show off the generously decorative work on its exterior. The legs are either straight or slightly tapered, shorn of structurally ornate details.

STYLISTIC FEATURES: The chair is an example of enamel work – the process of applying a vitreous coating to a wooden base. While the earliest known enamelled objects were created in Cyprus during c. 13th century BC, not much is known about the infiltration of enamel-work in India. Scholars, however, are of the opinion that the craft was introduced in the country from Europe through Persia during the 15th-16th centuries. The craftsmanship of enamel workers flourished during the Mughal period, and would gain further distinction during the 18th-19th centuries, especially in the regions of Rajasthan and Moradabad. Although the patterns on this chair are strictly geometrical, enamel craftsmen often favoured naturalistic ornamentation, including the paisley, vines, birds, and motifs inspired by calligraphy.

Courtesy: The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai