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Antique Anglo-Indian Boxes
Collectible Culture from the British Raj'
Srinagar The small trinket boxes usually made in Kashmir consisted of decorated papier mache.
In this case, the foundation for the box was crafted from a light weight soft wood such as Poplar, Deodar, Fir, Pine which all grow in Kashmir. In general, softwoods are non-porous woods because they lack vessels. They consist of tracheid’s and wood rays but lack vessels. This allows softwoods to absorb adhesives quickly, resulting in a better finish. The base material is therefore ideal for box making as it is easily worked and more robust that papier mache but it has a plain appearance crying out for surface decoration. In this case, the wood has been lacquered in the Japanese style by first applying a fine cloth to the surface with adhesive in order to impart a good ‘key’ to which the lacquer can adhere. Once dry, the lacquer has been meticulously decorated with many colors. It was then overcoated with clear lacquer before final gilded details were applied). Jubbar Khan & Sons had the best craftsmen working for them and even to this day, their products stand as testimony to the fine, painstaking craftsmanship of its
