I wonder if anyone can shed some light on what we have here. Would you class this as folk art? Where do you think it's from? Is it desirable? This was owned by my wife's stepfather. He grew up in Brazil, so that may be its origin, but he also traveled the world, so it could be from anywhere. It looks like it was a backgammon set...does that seem right? If nothing else, it seems like someone spent a LOT of time on it, although it seems rough in execution in places. The photos below (with a U.S. quarter for size reference) are 1) the top (the bottom is identical), 2) closeup of top, 3) side, 4) inside.
A lot of similar come out of Granada, Spain too. But -- given its intricateness and lack of high glass varnish -- think yours is further east as above. Debora
I should add that backgammon was a very fashionable game in the 1970s and your set likely dates to then. A key word search ("Middle Eastern," "backgammon," "parquetry") should bring up other examples for directional value. The usual 1stDibs caveat applies. Debora
Backgammon is still very popular in Turkey and you can see people playing it in the street. They are quite open to you challenging them to a game or two.
