A Stunning Teak and Brass-Studded ‘Zanzibar’ Chest

The chest with decorative pierced brass sheets, the studs in patterns of panels and circles, the lid with patterns of pyramids with crosses representing the Fountain of Youth, the hinged top enclosing a ‘candle’ box, with brass carrying-handles to each side. Approx. 40 in. wide by 22 in. high by 18 in. deep. East Africa, circa 1870. These dowry chests were often used in the export of spices, rugs and silks from India to East Africa and Europe in the 18th. and 19th. centuries