A pair of Indian Gujarat carved wood architectural columns, 16th/17th century, decorated in relief with figures, scrolls and foliage, heights 103.5cm and 105.5cm, mounted on plinth bases. Provenance: from the estate of a West Sussex collector. Note: the state of Gujarat was the chief centre of wood carving in India from at least the 15th century. The people of Gujarat used wood freely in the construction of temple pavilions, balconies, facades, doors, columns and brackets. Wood carving in the Mughal period (1556-1707) shows a blend of the indigenous and Mughal styles. Jain wooden pavilions of the late 16th and 17th centuries display richly sculpted scenes of Jain mythology and contemporary life with floral, animal, figural and geometric motifs.