Box thumbnail 1
Box thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Box

1880-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Sri Lanka (made)

The descriptions of the timber sample in this box are a mix of anglicized versions of Sinhalese vernacular terms, English common names and scientific names. European perceptions about the natural abundance of Ceylon, particularly with reference to the timbers of the island, gave rise to the production of pieces of furniture that incorporated a variety of different indigenous woods as part of their decoration. The interest in local woods also led to the creation of sets of timber samples, such as this piece.

Object details

Category
Woodwork
Object type
Box
Parts
This object consists of 28 parts.

  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Wood Sample
  • Box Lid
  • Box
Materials and techniques
Wood
Wood
Woodworking
Polishing
Brief description
Box with wood specimens, C19
Physical description
Box of plain wood, with sliding lid containing polished panels or samples of twenty-six different woods from Sri Lanka, each with a label at the top inscribed in ink with the name of the timber.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.7cm
  • Width: 21cm
  • Depth: 9cm
Measured 26/12/2009 for Furniture Gallery: box 6 x 9 x 21 cm (each sample 7.5 x 4.3 cm), footprint variable
Marks and inscriptions
Credit line
Given by Miss Wallis, "North End", Warley Hill, Brentwood, Essex
Object history
Given by Miss Wallis, "North End", Warley Hill, Brentwood, Essex. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1920-422
Summary
The descriptions of the timber sample in this box are a mix of anglicized versions of Sinhalese vernacular terms, English common names and scientific names. European perceptions about the natural abundance of Ceylon, particularly with reference to the timbers of the island, gave rise to the production of pieces of furniture that incorporated a variety of different indigenous woods as part of their decoration. The interest in local woods also led to the creation of sets of timber samples, such as this piece.
Bibliographic reference
Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London (V&A), 2001, p. 369.
Other number
RP 1920/422 - RF number
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IM.2:1 to 28-1920

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Record createdJuly 25, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O114348/box-unknown/
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