Object size: 57.2 x 61.0 x 61.0 cm
This pietra-dura inlaid games table is a masterpiece of the technique of marquetry. The elaborate inlay has been created on an octagonal white marble base using semiprecious stones, including serpentine, carnelian, red porphyry, breccia, granite, agate, lapis lazuli, blood-stone, onyx, jasper, and slate. The central square is designed for the game of chess, with 64 squares alternating in white marble and coloured stone. The intricate border has been painstakingly inlaid in a floral vine pattern, highly reminiscent of the finest Mughal architecture, including the Taj Mahal and Red Fort in Agra and the Tomb of Jahangir in Lahore. Chess boards and playing pieces have long been made as objects of luxury. Fine gaming tables such as this one would have likely been commissioned by wealthy patrons or made for export.
