An Intricately Inlaid Box of Moorish History

HH has a large jewel box that encompasses three cultural styles across ten centuries, yet it is neither rare nor particularly pricey. It is a vintage handmade inlaid box that draws from the traditions of Moroccan, Syrian, and Spanish woodworking artisans. How is this possible, and why can’t this appraiser locate its exact origin?

The answer is that the box speaks of the exchange of art, culture, and craftsmanship between Moorish Spain (called Al-Andalus) and North Africa (often called Hispano-Moorish or Hispano-Maghrebi), extending all the way to the opposite end of the Arab world in Syria. The box has a design that spans a cultural loop dating back to the Arab-Islamic Empire, the world’s largest land empire from 632 CE to 1258 CE.

This box contains hints of the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE), whose woodworking craftsmanship is the answer to why this type of object is described both as Damascus work and Hispano-Moorish work. The Umayyad Caliphate, which likely originated this style of craftsmanship, was the first major Islamic dynasty and was based in Damascus, Syria. The style spread throughout the entire Arab-Islamic world and continued under the long-lived, culturally rich, multicultural Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE), centered in the City of Peace, Baghdad, Iraq. These artistic traditions were ultimately carried to Spain during Moorish rule from 711 to 1492 CE.

The box itself reflects the Golden Age of Islamic tile and mosaic work, with intricate geometric inlay – an art form perfected in the Arabic-Andalusian architecture of the Alhambra, from which many of the arabesque motifs are derived. My brother lives in Spain about two hours from this wonder of the world and arranged a private tour for us – the highlight of my last 40 years! Our entire group of four siblings, assorted spouses, and children crammed into a minivan to travel to the palace. As a Santa Barbarian, I was thrilled to see echoes of Santa Barbara in the Alhambra. Even the road from Málaga to Granada reminded me of the hills of Santa Ynez.

Of course, while the rest of the family was admiring the grand vistas and discussing where to have lunch, I was busy photographing door hinges, carved wood ceilings, and geometric tilework. At one point I believe my relatives lost track of me entirely, only to discover me studying a decorative panel with Paul, my engineer brother and David, my culturally diverse brother of seven languages (he translated all my questions). Every family seems to have one member who wanders off; in ours, it is apparently the appraiser.

Thus we add another layer of cultural relevance to HH’s box: this style tradition is part of our style tradition, too. The same Hispano-Moorish influence that shaped the Alhambra would centuries later influence architecture, decoration, and design throughout Southern California and especially Santa Barbara.

The box may also have its origin story in either Granada or Córdoba, both centers of this type of tile and wood inlay. Traditional woods used in Southern Spanish and North African boxes include cedar, walnut, and thuya, often inlaid with mother-of-pearl, bone, and, in earlier examples, ivory.

Following nearly 800 war-torn years of The Reconquista, Moorish rule in Spain ended and Jews and Muslims were forced by the victorious Catholic power structure to flee. Many of these refugees settled in Morocco, where they preserved and perpetuated Andalusian design principles. In Morocco, marquetry boxes such as HH’s took on the flair of Berber design traditions, adding yet another layer to their cultural story.

Pulling together all the elements of wood marquetry – called wood intarsia inlay or taracea – HH’s box is clearly a 20th-century Nasrid Revival lidded box drawing inspiration from the final Islamic dynasty of Spain, the Nasrids. The box is also part of the late 19th- and early 20th-century Hispano-Moorish style that we know so well in Santa Barbara, a style that drew its breath from that era’s Romantic Revival in architecture and design.

The box is worth approximately $500.