Workbox
1830-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Workboxes of this design were stock products of furniture workshops in Galle, a fortified town on the southwestern coast of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). However, this piece is distinctive in that the inner face of the lid is inlaid with a figure wearing Ceylonese regalia and a royal hat topped by the royal 'tree-ornament' (mal-gaha). It is believed that the figure is either a generic representation of a Ceylonese king or Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy (reigned 1747-82), a heroic and beloved figure who was revered for his patronage of religious and cultural institutions.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 33 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Calamander, inlaid with ivory engraved and highlighted with lac, partly inlaid with tortoiseshell and woods; silvered brass mounts |
| Brief description | Workbox, calamander, inlaid with ivory, engraved, 1830-50, Galle District. |
| Physical description | Workbox of calamander, inlaid with ivory, engraved and highlighted with red and black lac, and partly inlaid with tortoiseshell and different woods, with silvered brass lock, hinges and mounts. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by HM Queen Mary |
| Object history | The workbox belonged to Queen Mary, who presented it to the V&A in 1936. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Workboxes of this design were stock products of furniture workshops in Galle, a fortified town on the southwestern coast of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). However, this piece is distinctive in that the inner face of the lid is inlaid with a figure wearing Ceylonese regalia and a royal hat topped by the royal 'tree-ornament' (mal-gaha). It is believed that the figure is either a generic representation of a Ceylonese king or Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy (reigned 1747-82), a heroic and beloved figure who was revered for his patronage of religious and cultural institutions. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jaffer, Amin Furniture from British India and Ceylon: A Catalogue of the Collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. London : V&A Publications, 2001. 416 p., ill. ISBN 1851773185, p.375, pl.183. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.2:1 to 33-1936 |
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| Record created | July 26, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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