Box - Bone, Silver - Anglo indian card case

Antique Islamic Anglo Indian Sadeli micro mosaic card case.

Antique Islamic Anglo Indian wooden and animal bone card case, delicately inlaid with micro mosaic geometric floral patterning . Both faces of the case are covered with micro mosaic patterns, whilst edges have lighter patterning. The case lid slides off to reveal the inner compartment for holding business cards. This micro mosaic craft was brought by Persians from Shiraz to India, into Surat near Bombay, and was known locally as Sadeli. Traditionally, the body of the case is made from sandalwood, and is then fully overlaid with bone and intricate mosaic made up of minute rods of animal bone, ebony and other woods, silver/pewter and semi precious stone. These were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns, and then sliced in transverse sections to form small tiles, which could be arranged in designs to cover the bare wood. Such boxes starting being made in India for English residents from the early part of the 18th century, and became very popular, even being exported back home. They were still in vogue until the late 19th century., mid to late 19th century