19Th Century Anglo Indian Sewing Box.

19th-Century Anglo-Indian Sandalwood Sewing Box

A fine and highly decorative 19th-century Anglo-Indian sewing box, probably produced in Bombay for the European market, constructed in richly coloured sandalwood with bone inlay and intricate micro-mosaic decoration.

The rectangular casket is raised on four finely cast animal-paw feet and fitted with a shaped carrying handle to the front. The exterior is extensively decorated with geometric arrangements of bone and micro-mosaic, including numerous circular and star-form motifs set against the warm golden-brown sandalwood ground. The hinged lid is particularly striking, centred by a radiating sunburst design composed of alternating panels of bone and finely worked micro-mosaic, surrounded by concentric geometric borders.

The sides are similarly ornamented with inset bone plaques and small circular mosaic devices, while the edges are highlighted with narrow bands of pale bone. The original metal handle and fittings complement the elaborate decoration.