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ANTIQUE 19TH CENTURY ANGLO-INDIAN NAGINA CARVED EBONY PEN / WRITING BOX
Beautiful antique Anglo-Indian carved ebony box, most likely produced in Nagina, northern India, during the second half of the 19th century, circa 1850–1880.
I purchased this unusual box at an antique shop in London, and it has the distinctive characteristics of the highly regarded carved ebony work associated with Nagina during the British Raj period.
The box is an unusually long, narrow form measuring approximately 10½ inches long × 3 inches wide × 2½inches deep. Its proportions and construction are particularly suggestive of a 19th-century pen or correspondence box, although it could of course be used today as a jewelry, keepsake or decorative box.
The exterior is exceptionally richly hand carved, with layers of floral, foliate and geometric decoration, including scrolling vines, stylized flowers, rosettes and repeating geometric borders. The stepped lid is extensively carved, and even the inside of the lid contains decorative hand-carved borders.
Additional features include turned bun feet, brass hinges, a decorative escutcheon/lock plate and numerous small light-colored decorative studs/inlays around the inside rim of the box and cover.
The deep, dark wood has a wonderful aged patina and the carving has considerable depth and crispness for an object of this age.
DIMENSIONS:
10½” long
3” wide
2½” deep
CONDITION:
Antique condition with considerable age and character. There is expected surface wear, rubbing and patina to the wood, along with minor edge losses, separations and imperfections from age and use. The brass hardware also shows age-related wear. Please examine all photographs carefully, as the photographs form an important part of the condition description. No key is at an antique shop in London.
A wonderful example of Anglo-Indian decorative carving and an especially attractive piece for collectors of British India, Raj-era antiques, Nagina ebony carving, antique boxes and Asian decorative arts.
