A rare and unusual 18th century Anglo-Indian ivory-inlaid rosewood knife case circa 1760-1770, Vizagapatam

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 USD

bidding is closed

Description

height 11 1/2 in.; width 7 1/2 in.; depth 5 in.
29 cm; 18.5 cm; 13 cm

of rounded form, with foliate engraved ivory banding and inlaid overall with stylized sprays of flowers and leaves, the sloping top opening to a previously fitted interior.

Provenance

Mallett at Bourdon House, London

Acquired from the above, 1999

Catalogue Note

This unusual knife case is closely related to a slightly larger pair now in the China Trade Museum, which has the same form and decoration, retaining their original velvet-lined interiors with compartments for knives. Designed to be placed on a sideboard in a dining room, their rounded shape is unusual, contemporary English examples of inlaid wood normally being of serpentine or bowed form. This design was used by Robert and James Adam for a pair of boxes for Kenwood House which are illustrated in their Works in Architecture published in 1774, plate VII, and also by J. Carter in The Builder’s Magazine, 1776, plate CVI.

See:

Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, 2001, p. 194, item 43, fig. 43