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Letter rack
Unknown - Enlarge image
Letter rack
- Place of origin:
Mumbai, India (made)
- Date:
ca. 1850 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Sandalwood, with inlays of metal, wood, ivory and horn (sadeli work)
- Museum number:
20-1852
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122f, case 5
Object Type
The great international exhibitions of the second half of the 19th century opened up new markets for the makers of traditional crafts on the Indian subcontinent. Small, easily transportable objects such as letter racks were in demand from Europeans in India itself, and from those outside India who saw such a wealth of craftsmanship for the first time in the exhibitions.
Materials & Making
The sandalwood letter rack was made in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and incorporates an inlay technique that was a speciality of the city. It is set with roundels made by arranging together rods of metal, ivory (natural and stained green), bone and ebony, and then slicing them thinly. The technique was known as 'sadeli'.
People
The sadeli technique was described in detail by Sir George Birdwood in his landmark book, The Industrial Arts of India (London, 1880). He traced its origin to Shiraz, in Iran, from where he concluded it had travelled to Sindh in the mid-18th century, and thence to Bombay before 1880.
Historical Associations
This letter rack was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 as an example of 'modern' work from Bombay. It was bought by the Museum of Ornamental Design for £3.10s.
