Lot 11 Details

24-Hour Online Auction: Elegant Design 25-26 March 2014

A PERIOD CAMPHOR WOOD CABIN TRUNK    

Winning bid
$1,664
Rs 98,160
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 79 Details

Auction 2004 (May) 4-6 May 2004

K M Adimoolam

King Series

Pen and ink on paper

30 x 22 in

Winning bid
$1,666
Rs 71,649
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 43 Details

Absolute Art Auction 23-24 January 2013

K Laxma Goud

Untitled

Pen and ink on paper

9 x 6.5 in

Winning bid
$1,666
Rs 88,320
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 54 Details

Winter Auction 2008 10-11 December 2008

Ram Rahman

Paris

Print on Harman FB A1 archival Paper

39.5 x 49.5 in

Winning bid
$1,668
Rs 80,040
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 65 Details

Online Auction of Fine Jewels and Silver 28-29 October 2015

A KASHMIRI SILVER FILIGREE BOX    

Winning bid
$1,668
Rs 1,08,388
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 65 Details

Spring Auction 2006 15-16 March 2006

Sachin Karne

Untitled

Watercolour on paper

29.5 x 21.5 in

Winning bid
$1,672
Rs 71,896
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 1 Details

The Discerning Eye | Bangalore, Live 15 April 2015

Baua Devi

Madhubani Painting

Acrylic on canvas

42 x 57.5 in

Winning bid
$1,672
Rs 1,02,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 20 Details

The Discerning Eye | Bangalore, Live 15 April 2015

A PERIOD CAMPHOR ...

Camphor wood, brass
16 x 34 x 18 in ...

View Dimensions Camphor wood chests derive their name from camphor wood or cinnamomum camphora, an evergreen tree south of the Yangtze river and native to the country. Besides being a natural repellent against moths and wood-boring insects, it also gave off a pungent odour that aided in preserving its contents.

Camphor chests were ascribed varying cultural uses in different countries. In China, these trunks were used for storage and travel. During the Ming dynasty, these chests were used to store royal robes, a practice that later became common among Chinese families, who would use it for storing blankets, clothes, linen, as well as food, personal papers and other keepsakes. They were also intended as part of the bridal dowry for a young woman to keep her precious silks and belongings until marriage. Later in the 18th and 19th century, it became common to use them in trade for carrying goods like tea, silk, spices and porcelain from China to European countries, while the more ornate ones, with carvings of dragons, ships and animals, ended up as decorative pieces in European living rooms.

The current lot is a 19th century chest made of camphor wood, adorned with brass clasps and cornices. Believed to have been made during the reign of the British, the embellishments indicate a confluence of Western and local traditions and crafts. An image of a deity inside the chest suggests that the chest was used to store religious items, including scriptures and books.

Winning bid
$1,672
Rs 1,02,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)