AN ESSAOUIRA POLYCHROME WOOD-INLAID TABLE WITH FLAGS OF WESTERN POWERS Essaouira, Morocco, North Africa, late 19th centuryAN ESSAOUIRA POLYCHROME WOOD-INLAID TABLE WITH FLAGS OF WESTERN POWERSEssaouira, Morocco, North Africa, late 19th century The tabletop of circular shape with lobed rim, showcasing an impressive tour de force of hardwood marquetry work, inlaid with light and dark coloured wooden tesserae and clusters arranged to design eleven flags of Western powers inside oval medallions, below them the inscription J. F. W. Pickering, to the centre a typical Islamic geometric rosette medallion, every petal/section of the table dedicated to a flag surrounded by polychrome wood arches and decorative fretwork bands, running along the side of the table top the inscription in lighter wood October 1882 Eleven Hundred and Fifty Five Pieces, possibly a note to how many pieces of wood were employed to complete this important private commission, the dark wood carved legs with stylised vegetal motif a later-added match to the Moroccan table top, 95cm diam. and 77cm high. This table top is a mesmerising work of art from Morocco and a true riddle. It was most probably produced in Essaouira, a seaside town in Morocco renowned for its marquetry artists and intricate pieces of furniture featuring complex geometric designs. However, on this occasion, one could truly say that the artists outdid themselves. The top features eleven flags of Western powers, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Spain (?), France, Germany (pre-1914), the Union Jack of Sweden and Norway (1844 - 1905), the Austria-Hungary Empire (pre-1914), Italy (with the Savoy coat of arms, 1861 - 1946), Independent Norway (?), Denmark, and Bulgaria. Although not all flags are completely accurate in their depiction (e.g. the American flag only has nine stars and the German flag is upside down), most of them are replicated in the design they would have had in the late 19th century, showing cohesion with the date of October 1882 mentioned on the side of the table. Why are all these flags featured on the table top? The likely answer could be the celebration of an international pact, a special treaty, an important deal or the commemoration of the successful end of a war. However, the date of October 1882 only seems to be relevant to one country, the United Kingdom, which at the time would have just won the Anglo-Egyptian war (July - September 1882), establishing the British Protectorate over the Egyptian lands, a pivotal commercial and financial district in the Ottoman Empire's administration. Interestingly, the flag of the United Kingdom is the only one that doesn't have a counterpart, as its opposite oval medallion is filled with a cluster of square geometric designs instead of another flag. Further adding to the puzzle is the name and mysterious identity of J. F. W. Pickering, inscribed below the flags and around the centre. A well-known member of the British government named Pickering and matching the timeline was William Alexander Pickering (1840 - 1907), appointed on 3 May 1877 as the first Protector to administer the Chinese Protectorate of colonial Singapore. However, given that his appointment lasted until 1889, it seems improbable that he would commission a table in Morocco in 1884, a time when he was still based in the Far East. According to some ledgers and documents preserved in the Maritime Archives and Library of the National Museums Liverpool (NRA 30814), JW Pickering & Sons Ltd was a registered trademark of ship repairers and engineers between 1874 and 1962. Essaouira is a port city, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to suggest that a British ship engineer or builder could have commissioned the table whilst working on site. If that was the case, it would still remain unclear how to reconcile the presence of the eleven flags on a private commission by a ship engineer. Although this table may have sparked more questions than answers, what appears to be clear is the popularity and high desirability of foreign products, especially from the Middle East, not only in England but in all the major countries in the West. Private commissions of this kind would have bedazzled and mesmerised audiences back home and were deemed essential souvenirs from the Western travellers' trips to the Levant. Dimensions 95cm diam. and 77cm high