CabinetMuseu do Oriente
Cabinet. Ceylon (Sri Lanka). c. 1635-1680
Wood (cedar?), paper, ivory, silver and brass
Sri Lanka (former Ceylon) has a great tradition in the world of decorative arts, in which ivory played a leading role.
The representation of Paradise in this piece of Sinhalese execution reveals the impact of European presence on the decorative arts of Sri Lanka, between 1506 and 1658.
Highly favoured and sought-after, ivory represented the powerful and auspicious character of the elephant, a symbol of wisdom and royal power. In Europe, it was coveted for its rarity and exoticism.
Dominated by plant motifs such as curled stems, leaves and rosettes, the profuse decoration follows the local aesthetics, appreciated in the West for its exuberance and refinement.
Friezes of animals lined up under trees full of birds resemble representations in Sinhalese Buddhist temples. Another possible reading suggests the four noble Buddhist truths, Chathurarya Sathya, in which the elephant, bull, lion and horse, represent birth, old age, sickness and death - attaining Nirvana through the cycles of Samsara.
CabinetMuseu do Oriente
Inside, Paradise is represented, according to the Christian conception, with Adam and Eve flanking the Old Testament Tree of Wisdom.
CabinetMuseu do Oriente
Indians believed that Paradise was located in Ceylon, and that Adam was created there, thus naming Adam's Peak, a mountain on that island, after him.
© Fundação Oriente - Museu do Oriente
Photography: Hugo Maertens, BNP Paribas / Fundação Oriente - Museu do Oriente
