Syrian Chest of Drawers Inlaid With Mother-of-Pearl

Details

Description

This exquisite tall Syrian Chest is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, bone, and silver. It features five drawers, each with blue and … Read more This exquisite tall Syrian Chest is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, bone, and silver. It features five drawers, each with blue and white porcelain knobs. The drawers are intricately decorated with lions and deer, which weave between stylized acanthus leaves in a lush garden of foliaged arabesque patterns. In Persian art and poetry, the lion and deer are often paired as symbols of duality: the lion representing majestic power, while the deer embodies delicate, fleeting beauty. Flowering vines embellish all the sides of the bureau, and the bottom of the bureau is decorated with open fretwork in mother-of-pearl inlay, continuing the foliage arabesque in an extraordinary lace-like damascene design. See less