Letter Rack thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Letter Rack

c. 1850 (made)
Place of origin
Ahmedabad (made)

This letter rack was produced in Ahmedabad in Gujarat State, India in the mid- to late 19th century. The city has long been associated with the production of decorative and/or utilitarian wares from local quartz hardstones and to this day it continues to be a major gem cutting and trade centre.


Object details

Categories
Gemstones
Hardstone
Stationery
India Museum
Object type
Letter rack
Materials and techniques
Agate, cut and polished using abrasives with the holes most probably made using a bow-driven drill.
Agate
Brief description
Letter rack, elongated octagonal base set on 4 round feet, agate, with banding in shades of beige/brown/grey, Ahmedabad India, 19th century
Physical description
Letter rack consisting of two narrow, toothed bars, one attached to either side of a vertical support that is itself attached to an elongated octagonal base set on four round feet, beige to brown banding. A crack in the base extends from a drill hole used for attaching the vertical to the base.
Dimensions
  • 08183( is) length: 162.5mm (+/- 0.5)
  • 08183( is) width: 9.9mm (+/- 0.5)
  • 08183( is) height: 56.8mm (+/- 1.0)
  • 08183( is) thickness: 8.5 to 10.2mm (Note: Thickness range of base)
  • 08183( is) thickness: 11.5mm (Note: Thickness of vertical)
  • 08183( is) length: 125.5 & 126.9mm (Note: Lengths of the two toothed bars)
  • 08183( is) diameter: 15.1 to 16.1mm (Note: Diameter range of the round feet)
Object history
This letter rack was formerly in the Indian Museum in London and it was then transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879. It was valued at £2-8s in 1855.
Summary
This letter rack was produced in Ahmedabad in Gujarat State, India in the mid- to late 19th century. The city has long been associated with the production of decorative and/or utilitarian wares from local quartz hardstones and to this day it continues to be a major gem cutting and trade centre.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
08183(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O450850/letter-rack/
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