19TH CENTURY, SRI LANKA

Details

AN ANGLO-INDIAN EBONY AND SPECIMEN-WOOD INLAID CENTRE TABLE
19th Century, Sri Lanka
The circular moulded tilt-top with radiating specimens of exotic timbers bordered with ivory inlay, on a reeded shaft with shaped scroll base, on a concave-sided square base with carved bun feet, the underside with paper label inscribed 'B 60', the top reframed in England in the 19th century to incorporate a tilt mechanism
29 in. (74 cm.) high; 47¼ in. (120 cm.) diameter

Provenance

The late Colin Broun Lindsay, Colstoun, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, Sothbey's house sale, 21 May 1990, lot 92.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

This table is typical of the carved ebony furniture manufactured on the island of Ceylon Sri Lanka in the Galle district, throughout the 19th century. While the form of these tables is based on English designs dating to the second quarter of the 19th century (such as Thomas King;s The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified of 1829), the carved ornament, including the pala-peti or lotus motif are derived from local traditions. These tables were supplied to the British colonists in Ceylon and India as for export to England. A number of tables similarly inlaid wih exotic woods are known including the earliest dated example, formerly at the Royal Commonwealth Society with a presentation plaque dated 1836 (A. Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, p. 373, fig. 142).

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