Sinhalese rosewood games box, Sri Lanka, 16th-17th century. Photo courtesy Amir Mohtashemi Ltd.

The box consists of two equal sized hinged sections. The corners are reinforced with pierced brass mounts. The lid is carved with a central crest of two crowned lions rampant combatant holding arrows and curved swords surmounted by a crown, surrounded by scrolling leaves with flowerheads emanating from a fortress with three turrets. The central square is framed by two borders; the first with scrolling leaves and flowerheads, the second with undulating branches and pomegranates. The back is similarly carved, but the central crest contains a crowned double headed eagle and the outer border is filled with undulating branches and flowers. The inside reveals a backgammon board in ebony, teak and rosewood marquetry. 13.7cm high, 48.3cm wide, 48.1cm deep

Two boxes from the same family are illustrated in Pedro Dias, O Contador das Cenas Familiares, Porto 2002, pp 52-53. Moreover, there is a box with similar carving in the Palace of Sintra (Collection number PNS2963), the flower heads in particular are very similar This box is illustrated on the Matriznet website.

Amir Mohtashemi Ltd. MasterArt at TEFAF 2014. 14-23 march 2014 - http://www.masterart.com/