Moorish style mother-of-pearl inlaid hardwood three-piece furniture set

Moorish style mother-of-pearl inlaid hardwood three-piece furniture set
Indo-Portuguese, c.1900
Corner cabinet: Height 181cm, width 66cm, depth 27cm
Stool: Height 45cm, width 41cm, depth 41cm
Side table: Height 53cm, width 36cm, depth 36cm
 
This Indo-Portuguese furniture set – which is comprised of a tall corner cabinet, a stool and side table – is designed in a wonderful Moorish style. This style is a variation of Islamic art, which flourished in North Africa and parts of Spain and Portugal, where the Andalusians (Moors) were dominant from the 8th-15th Century.
 
The corner cabinet is split into three tiers, consisting of three open arches on the ground level (one scalloped and two with onion-shaped profiles), a central cabinet contained behind two doors, and two open horseshoe arches on the top level. The cabinet is then crowned by a decorative parapet, composed of repeated three-lobed motifs. The entire cabinet is heavily carved with scrolling vegetal decoration, geometric forms and patterns, and mother-of-pearl inlaid eight- and six-point stars. The rectangular side table and stool are similarly decorated, only they feature more openwork designs, as well as dark-stained, turned spindle forms. The top of the stool is upholstered in a bright red fabric.  
 
This Moorish style furniture set will add great character to an interior, either antique or contemporary in its style. It will be well-suited to a living room, study or library.