AN ANGLO-INDIAN CARVED SANDALWOOD LIDDED BOX
Made by Habib Joo & Sons, Srinagar, Kashmir, Northern India, circa 1900

Of rectangular shape, resting on a flat base, the detachable lid with the typical stepped, casket-like design, the interior of the lid enhanced with a silver roundel engraved with the monogram 'SO' in Roman alphabet, the interior of the box featuring three removable rectangular compartments with openwork dividers for storing writing implements and stationary, the exterior of the box and the interior of the lid profusely carved with several concentric horizontal friezes featuring scrolling meanders with foliage, flowers, rosette medallions and leafy festoons, a pierced rosette crown located in the middle of the outer part of the lid, the base with an old provenance sticker linking the box to Kashmiri artisans Habib Joo & Sons, State Jewellers and Wood Carvers located in Srinagar.

11.5cm x 30cm x 19cm

Most wooden creations attributed to the Kashmiri atelier of Habib Joo appear to have been made of teak and other woods local to the region. The fact that this box is instead carved out of sandalwood, a sought-after material typical of the Southern regions of the Indian Subcontinent, is perhaps indicative that it was meant to be a special private commission for a foreign buyer, possibly an official visiting the area. The quality and depth of the carving, as well as the decorative vocabulary of this box depart from Mysore and Karnataka sandalwood specimen, which often present deeper recesses and Hindu iconography in the form of deities or subjects from Indian epics, an example of which can be seen in the next lot, lot 71.