STRUCTURAL FEATURES: The stately Indo-Portuguese chair of the ‘Goanese’ style – named thus even though the furniture is chiefly made along the Malabar Coast, south of Goa -- involves the use of woven cane or rattan as the concave back and the seat. The vertical splats of the back extend to then form one set of the rear legs. Such furniture originated between 1510 to the mid-1630s, coinciding also with the apex of Portuguese supremacy in India. Production of chairs in this style continued down until at least the late-19th century.

STYLISTIC FEATURES: The ends of the curved armrests of the chair comprise the heads of a snake-like creature. The legs are of the Marlborough style — straight, square, usually plain, and tapered at the ends. The back has an intricately woven central cane panel with a carved, pierced crest rail in a foliate pattern.

Courtesy: The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai