Openwork ivory box - Lot 259

Openwork ivory box Ivory Sri Lanka / Ceylon, 17th century H. 4.3 cm - W. 10.2 cm - D. 6 cm This openwork ivory box consists of a main compartment and its lid. Its exact function is difficult to establish, but it was probably used as a perfume diffuser, or as a locust box. Remarkably finely carved, it is a fine example of Ceylonese craftsmanship. The lid features a winged female figure called a kinnari, surrounded by luxuriant foliage, with squirrels hidden among the branches. The rim is decorated with an openwork frieze of flowers and plant motifs. On the back, a mythical creature known as a yali is set in a similar plant motif. Typical of southern India and Sri Lanka, the yali is sometimes described as a bird-like leogriff. A 17th-century Ceylonese box with similar kinnari and foliage decoration is in the Victoria & Albert Museum (Inv. n°13-1896) and published in: JAFFER A. (2002), Luxury goods from India, the art of the Indian cabinet-maker, London: V & A Publications, p. 52-53, n°19. CITES certificate issued 24/11/2023