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Antique Anglo Indian basket form box veneered with ebony inlaid with Sadeli mosaic circa 1840

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Reference: Sb421

Description:
SB421: Anglo Indian basket form box veneered with ebony and inlaid with Sadeli mosaic having an ebony handle and standing on turned ebony feet the inside lined with sandalwood. circa 1840.

Origin: India ;  Circa: 1840 ; Materials:   ivory ebony sandalwood.

Size:  21.5 cm wide by 16.5 cm by  7 cm:   8..46  inches wide by   6.5  inches by   2..75  inches.

Condition: good overall; see images.

 

SB421: Anglo Indian basket form box veneered with ebony and inlaid with Sadeli mosaic having an ebony handle and standing on turned ebony feet the inside lined with sandalwood. circa 1840. Enlarge Picture

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SB421: Anglo Indian basket form box veneered with ebony and inlaid with Sadeli mosaic having an ebony handle and standing on turned ebony feet the inside lined with sandalwood. circa 1840. Enlarge Picture

The hinged lids open to two compartments lined with sandalwood.

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 

 

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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. 

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

 

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. 

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References:
See Antique Boxes Tea Caddies Society 
See: Furniture from British India and Ceylon Amin Jaffir
See:
Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-maker Amin Jaffer 2002

Other Anglo Indian boxes:

Below are some Anglo-Indian- boxes I have documented on our site. It is becoming increasingly hard to find examples which have survived with their integrity  

A sandalwood  box of basket form veneered with porcupine quills framed with incised and lac filled ivory having a horn handle and standing on turned horn feet. Anglo Indian Vizagapatam circa 1850.  753SB: An Anglo Indian Vizagapatam radiating faded black buffalo  horn of dramatic curved shape Circa 1835 737SB: Anglo-Indian, Vizagapatam, box in the form of a basket, the wooden frame covered in porcupine quills, framed in ivory which is incised and decorated in black lacquer, with a horn handle. It stands on turned horn feet. Circa 1850.     743SB: Anglo-Indian (Vizagapatam) box in wood covered in horn, of sarcophagus form, with a segmented radiating  top culminating in a turned and carved floral finial. An Indian interpretation of English Regency aesthetic. This is a small box which shows absolute mastery of design. Circa 1840.     SB536: A sandalwood basket veneered in horn and ivory. Although such baskets were a popular Vizagapatam design, this one is very unusual in that it combines both solid ivory panels incised and lac filled in traditional plant motifs and fretted ivory work. Furthermore, the central cartouches are engraved with representations of Indian deities and not floral designs which was the normal decoration on such baskets. It stands on lion paw feet. The handle is decorated with scrolling flowers in characteristic fashion. Circa 1870.    SB421: Anglo Indian basket form box veneered with ebony and inlaid with Sadeli mosaic having an ebony handle and standing on turned ebony feet the inside lined with sandalwood. circa 1840.   TC135: An important and monumental Anglo Indian Vizagapatam black buffalo horn tea chest the horn fluted and framed by engraved horn panels,  standing on turned and carved horn feet  the inside contrasting having twin lift-out  sandalwood  canisters  with incised and lac filled hinged ivory lids, flanking a cut crystal bowl. Circa 1835.   885JBAI: Antique rare first period Anglo Indian box veneered all over with <I>Sadeli</I>mosaic Circa 1800 width=  

All text and images and linked images are © 1999-2017 Antigone Clarke and Joseph O'Kelly. If you require any further information on permitted use, or a licence to republish any material, email us at copyright@hygra.com