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Writing Box

late 16th–early 17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 463
The surfaces of this writing box are veneered with ebony and inlaid with ivory and sadeli, a type of micromosaic in use since antiquity. It is associated with the eastern Mediterranean region, from where it spread to Iran and India. This technique consists of binding together sections of diverse materials (tin, wood, ivory, bone, etc.), which are sliced transversally and formed into thin sheets of repeating patterns that are adhered to a wooden support.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Writing Box
  • Date: late 16th–early 17th century
  • Geography: Made in India or Pakistan, Gujarat or Sind
  • Medium: Wood; veneered with ebony, inlaid with ivory and bone (partially stained), brass (sadeli technique)
  • Dimensions: H. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
    W. 20 7/8 in. (53 cm)
    D. 5 1/8 in. (13 cm)
  • Classification: Wood
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Pat and John Rosenwald Gift, 2004
  • Object Number: 2004.439
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

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Settee, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema British, born The Netherlands, Ebony, box and sandalwood, cedar, ivory inlay, incrustations of mother-of-pearl and brass, British, London
Settee
Designer Designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Manufacturer Johnstone Norman & Co., London
ca. 1885
"Akbar With Lion and Calf", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Govardhan, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Akbar With Lion and Calf", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
Painting by Govardhan
Calligrapher Mir 'Ali Haravi
verso: ca. 1630; recto: ca. 1530–50
Pair of Four-Barreled Turnover Percussion Pistols of Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1785–1851), with Pair of Box-Lock Turn-Off Pocket Pistols, Case, and Accessories, James Purdey the Elder British, Turnover pistols: steel, wood (walnut), gold, silver; pocket pistols: steel, wood (walnut); mallet: wood (walnut, rosewood, ebony), leather; ramrod: wood (ebony), brass; cleaning rod: wood (walnut), brass, steel; cleaning rod tip: brass; powder flask: copper, gold, brass, steel; bullet mold: steel; nipple wrench: wood (walnut), steel, brass; screwdriver: horn, steel, brass; socket wrench: steel; patch box: ivory; case: wood (mahogany), brass, ivory, textile, paper, British, London
Pair of Four-Barreled Turnover Percussion Pistols of Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1785–1851), with Pair of Box-Lock Turn-Off Pocket Pistols, Case, and Accessories
Multiple artists/makers
1831
"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Chitarman Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
Painted by Chitarman
recto: dated 1627–28; verso: ca. 1530–50
Rectangular Octave Virginal, Ebony, beech, brass, leather, paper, parchment, ivory, German
Rectangular Octave Virginal
German
ca. 1600

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