This desk was made in the British colonies in Eastern India, probably in Bombay. The technique of marquetry differs substantially from the simple inlaid ivory of the Vizagapatam workshops. In this method of sadeli mosaic several rods of the various materials are bound together in the chosen pattern and are then sawn into slices and glued. Of ancient origin, the technique, in its 19th Century form, is said to have reached Bombay from Shiraz in Persia, via Sind. The metal mounts and hinges were often applied in England