Description:
Anglo Indian sandalwood box veneered with ivory panels framed with sadeli mosaic and inlaid with sadeli mosaic standing on gilded feet and having a liftout tray with supplementary lids. 

Originally this would have been made as a sewing box but it was lined with pink silk (probably in the 19th C) making this box suitable for keeping jewelry and precious possessions.

Origin: India.

Circa: 1830

Materials: sandalwood, ivory ebony rosewood pewter.

Size: 32.5cm wide by 23.5 cm by 13.5 cm including feet:  12.8 inches wide by  9.3 inches by  5.3 inches including feet.

Condition: good overall, working lock and key.

The composition  is exquisite. Each panel is laid out to take full advantage of the contrasting colors and textures of the exotic and valuable materials. Great care has been taken to lay out the symmetry of the inlay. 

The ancient art of sadeli mosaic was introduced to Bombay from Shiraz in Persia via Sindh. This art was already known in Bombay , a long time before the Anglo Indian boxes were made. It was a technique, which required a high degree of skill and patience. It was executed very lavishly, in that the frequent cuts wasted a great amount of the precious materials used. The workmanship was however more than commensurable to the value of the materials. 

 

Ivory, silver, pewter, tin, and wood, were cut into faceted strips which were bound and glued together to form rods of a pre designed geometric pattern. When the glue had set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. The ivory was sometimes dyed green to give an extra color to the composition. 

See: Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society, 1700--1880 
Antigone Clarke & Joseph O'Kelly, ISBN: 0764316885 

Anglo Indian boxes were made in India for the English residents from the early part of the 18th century. They were brought back or sent back to England usually by the people who had commissioned them. From the beginning of the nineteenth century they were imported more commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the middle decades. They were very highly valued, especially the early ones, to the extent that the designs were copied on late 19th and early 20th century tins.

See: http://hygra.com/anglo.html 

Ivory, pewter, ebony, rosewood, and stained ivory were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns. When the glue has set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. 

The ivory was sometimes dyed green as here to give an extra color and dynamic to the design. 

Side view:

The box has gilded side handles and feet. Interestingly the sides are veneered with several smaller panels of ivory, and not symmetrically laid out.  There is some cracking to the ivory. It seems that this cracking occurred while the box was still in the workshop as some of the crack lines have been covered with inlaid roundels.  

 Back view.

Side view:

The box has gilded side handles and feet. Interestingly the sides are veneered with several smaller panels of ivory, and not symmetrically laid out.  There is some cracking to the ivory. It seems that this cracking occurred while the box was still in the workshop as some of the crack lines have been covered with inlaid roundels.  

Front view.

The layout of the top is a delight of geometric art. In order to communicate the staggering craft skill needed to make this box, below the images are in ever increasing magnification.

 It is well worth looking at the high resolution versions  which can be accessed by clicking  on the images.

Ivory, pewter, ebony, rosewood, and stained ivory were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns. When the glue has set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. 

The ivory was sometimes dyed green as here to give an extra color and dynamic to the design.

 Inside there is a liftout tray with supplementary lids. 

Originally this would have been made as a sewing box but it was lined with pink silk (probably in the 19th C) making this box suitable for keeping jewelry and precious possessions.

 There is a slight loss of Sadeli mosaic on one of the roundels inlaid into the base of the tray in the centre top of this picture. otherwise the Sadeli mosaic is intact and in especially good condition.

The symmetry of the design layout of the supplementary lids is exceptionally good.  

The golden colored wood is precious sandal wood which still gives its beautiful perfume to the box.

 The underside is covered in crimson velvet.