Furniture thumbnail 1
Furniture thumbnail 2
+15
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asia Gallery, Room 41

This object consists of 11 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Furniture

ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This writing box of painted and varnished papier mache was made to contain pens, ink and other equipment for writing. Decorative papier mache was a speciality of Kashmir and was made for both the local and European markets. Painted and varnished wood was often used in place of true papier mache from the later 19th century onwards, but the finest work was produced by building up layers of moistened paper in a mould to the required shape, which was then smoothed, painted and varnished.
The box was given by Queen Victoria in 1852, the year in which the Museum's collections began to be acquired.


Object details

Category
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 11 parts.

  • Writing Box
  • Writing Tray
  • Inner Tray
  • Inner Tray
  • Ink Pot
  • Ink Pot
  • Spoon
  • Burnisher
  • Burnisher
  • Knife (Cutting Tool)
  • Scissors
Materials and techniques
Papier Mache, painted and varnished
Brief description
Writing box, Papier mache, painted and varnished, Srinagar, Kashmir.
Physical description
Writing box, with stand or tray, containing various instruments. Papier mache, painted and varnished. The box sits in a tray in the shape of an elongated octagon. The tray has eight feet, arranged in pairs. Its decoration consists mainly of gold painted flower motifs on blue and green grounds, with another band of red and blue flowers with white details and green stems on a gold ground. The box has a metal clasp. It is predominantly painted with gold flowers on a dark blue ground. There are two inscriptions on the lid in Arabic script.
Dimensions
  • Box height: 3.25in
  • Box length: 11.5in
  • Box width: 3.5in
  • Tray length: 13.875in
  • Tray width: 5.625in
Marks and inscriptions
(There are two inscriptions on the lid in Arabic script, presumably in Persian or Urdu.)
Gallery label
4. WRITING BOX Papier mache, painted and varnished Srinagar, Kashmir, c.1850. Given by HM Queen Victoria PEN BOX Papier mâché, painted and varnished Kashmir c. 1850 5-1852 Given by HM Queen Victoria Kashmir was, and still is, famous for highly decorated articles made of papier mâché. Then, as now, these were made for both local and foreign markets. The finest work is produced by building up layers of moistened paper in a mould to the required shape. The object is then smoothed, painted, and varnished to make it water resistant. GOLDEN THRONE(27/9/2013)
Credit line
Given by HM Queen Victoria
Object history
Given by Queen Victoria. Described in the South Kensington Museum Inventory as having come from Lahore and as 'modern' (in 1852).
Subject depicted
Summary
This writing box of painted and varnished papier mache was made to contain pens, ink and other equipment for writing. Decorative papier mache was a speciality of Kashmir and was made for both the local and European markets. Painted and varnished wood was often used in place of true papier mache from the later 19th century onwards, but the finest work was produced by building up layers of moistened paper in a mould to the required shape, which was then smoothed, painted and varnished.
The box was given by Queen Victoria in 1852, the year in which the Museum's collections began to be acquired.
Collection
Accession number
5 to J-1852

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Record createdJuly 17, 2008
Record URL
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