Timber & Craftsmanship

Sri Lanka has long been renowned for the variety and beauty of its cabinet woods, including teak, nedun, satinwood, ebony and calamander, among others. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Ceylonese furniture was heavily influenced by Western design, reflecting the successive Portuguese, Dutch and British occupations of the island. A distinctive hybrid style emerged, combining local woodworking skills and indigenous materials with the forms and decorations that characterised European taste. In time, a flourishing furniture-making industry became established on the island.

A Global Trade

Much of the furniture produced in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, during this period was intended for local consumption by colonial officials, planters, merchants and high-status Sinhalese patrons. However, an export trade was soon established, as evidenced by the recording of furniture in ‘Ledgers of Exports from Colonies’ and the recording of the sterling value of ‘cabinet ware’ from Ceylon to Great Britain, Mauritius, the African ports in the Red Sea, and India.

A small quantity of furniture from Ceylon was sent for display at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and at the Paris International Exposition in 1855. At the Paris Exposition, furniture was exhibited alongside samples of the many woods available on the island, highlighting the richness and variety of its natural materials. In 1857, two pieces from the Great Exhibition were donated to the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum. Such exhibitions and museum acquisitions helped to heighten British interest in Ceylonese furniture, at a time when the materials, commodities and distinctive visual language of the East were increasingly admired in Britain.

Further collection highlights

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Auction Details

Wednesday 23 September, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING:

• Viewing at Dreweatts London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
  • Monday 7 September: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 8 September: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 9 September: 10am-4pm
• Viewing at Dreweatts Newbury (full sale): Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Saturday 19 September: 10am-3pm
  • Sunday 20 September: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 21 September: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 22 September: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 23 September: 10am-4pm

Further Information: 
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