Brass Studded Zanzibar Chest From Surat - Early 19th Century

This beautiful Indian 'Zanzibar' chest dates to the 19th century and is an excellent example of a Surat style 'Zanzibar chest'. Made from solid teak wood and clad in brass. These chests were made in Surat in Gujarat by Parsees and used as dhow trade chests on ships for transporting spices like pepper and cloves, Indian cottons, gemstones. The main trade hubs were Diu, Surat, Basra, Zanzibar & Bombay hence these chests being found across much of the Arab Gulf.

There's plenty of misinformation surrounding Zanzibar chests and many mistakenly believe their origins to be in Zanzibar & the Arab Gulf. The thorough work in 'The Arab Chest' by Sheila Unwin suggests this chest to be a Category 1, Surat Type 1 which would date this chest between the early & mid 19th century - earlier than most of the Zanzibar chests on the market. It bears many similarities to the chest depicted on the front cover. 

This particular chest is unusual in style as it features early Shiraz style rhomboid mounts. Unwin notes on page 75 this style of plaque is found only on Shiraz chests making this unique. 

The chest is decorated with brass studs and corners with brass lifting handles on the sides. As a trading chest, this piece has a large storage area complete with a candle box. Three additional drawers run along the bottom adding more storage.

References:
For further reading see 'The Arab Chest' by Sheila Unwin. Note the similarities with the article pictured on the front cover. 
Similar chests have come up for auction at Christie's auctions. 

From India

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