Work Box
ca. 1790-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The design of this Indian work box is based on English Tunbridge Ware. This was the name used for small wooden domestic pieces decorated with patterns made from a mosaic of coloured woods. This work box is based on Tunbridge Ware dating from about 1780 to 1820. Boxes in the shape of rustic cottages reflected the British appreciation of idyllic rural life. This piece shows how Indian makers in India interpreteted the design of an idealised British country cottage, and all that it represented, using exotic materials. However, the distance between this piece and the exotic materials is considerable. When the V&A bought this box in 1951, curators initially thought it had been made in England in about 1780 to 1800.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Wood, veneered with ivory, engraved and highlighted with red and black lac, with silver lock and hinges |
| Brief description | Work box in the shape of a house, wood, veneered with ivory, engraved, Vizagapatam, 1790-1800. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | WORKBOX IN THE SHAPE OF
A COTTAGE
Sandalwood veneered with engraved ivory
Vizagapatnam (Vishakhapatnam),
Uttar Pradesh
Late 18th century
W.20-1951
This Indian workbox is based on English Tunbridge ware – the name given to a type of decorative wooden object, usually small boxes, with mosaic-like patterns of different coloured woods. Boxes in the shape of cottages reflected British visions of idyllic rural life. This piece shows how Indian makers interpreted the idealised country cottage using exotic materials. When the V&A first purchased this box, it was thought to have been made in England.(01/08/2017) |
| Summary | The design of this Indian work box is based on English Tunbridge Ware. This was the name used for small wooden domestic pieces decorated with patterns made from a mosaic of coloured woods. This work box is based on Tunbridge Ware dating from about 1780 to 1820. Boxes in the shape of rustic cottages reflected the British appreciation of idyllic rural life. This piece shows how Indian makers in India interpreteted the design of an idealised British country cottage, and all that it represented, using exotic materials. However, the distance between this piece and the exotic materials is considerable. When the V&A bought this box in 1951, curators initially thought it had been made in England in about 1780 to 1800. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jaffer, A. Furniture from British India and Ceylon: a catalogue of the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2001. ISBN 1 85177 318 5., p.206, pl.50. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.20:1 to 5-1951 |
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| Record created | February 5, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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