VIZAGAPATAM, MID-19TH CENTURY

Details

AN ANGLO-INDIAN IVORY AND HORN GAMES BOARD
VIZAGAPATAM, MID-19TH CENTURY
In the form of a folding book, with engraved stained border and spine, the interior of inlaid sandalwood, three internal boxes, possibly associated, fitted with an ivory and horn chess set - kings 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) high; and thirty two backgammon pieces
Shut -- 18 1/8 in. (46 cm.) wide; 10¼ in. (26 cm.) deep; 3½ in. (9 cm.) high

Special Notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Cf. Amin Jaffer, Furniture From British India and Ceylon, V&A Publications 2001, p. 209, fig. 53 for a comparable folding games box.
The earliest documented games board from Vizagapatam are those bought by Lady Clive during her 1801 visit to India, now at Powis Castle. The Vizagapatam games boards followed a standard pattern, the veneers typically ivory contrasting with horn, ebony or tortoiseshell, laid on a sandalwood carcass. These boards would have generally contained three other conforming boxes, containing chess and backgammon pieces.

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