Anglo Indian Amboyna Campaign Writing Box

From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Anglo Indian Amboyna Campaign Writing Box. The Writing Box of slim rectangular form made from Amboyna with thick brass banding around the perimeter. The box with a brass initial plaque to the lid with the initials E.H, a shaped escutcheon to the front and twin loop flush mounted brass carry handles. The interior of the box is faced in brass with a dark olive coloured writing surface to the centre with gold tooling bordered by a Greek key design. Below each half of the slope storage compartments are found for documents and writing implements.  The top of the slope has a partitioned section for two removable ink wells and a pen tray. The Writing Box dates to the late Georgian period during the reign of William IV circa 1835. 

The Campaign Writing Box comes complete with a working lock and tasselled key. 

Amboyna is also known as Andaman Padauk, Maiou or Narra grows in parts of East Asia (Malaysia, the Philippines and Borneo) and is often golden brown to red brown in colour with red grain. It is a firm wood with wavy and often interlocking grain making it difficult to work with hand tools, despite this it turns well and produces a high polish. The Burr from these trees varies in colour from a golden yellow to a deep red with sharp, close burr pips. It is very sought after and used for only the finest furniture.

Anglo-Indian furniture made for Europeans in colonial India during the 18th & 19th centuries was generically called campaign furniture or colonial furniture (see campaign below)

Campaign is a term used for a type of furniture or object that was specifically designed for travel often for military use. 

Greek Key design is made up of a long, continuous line that repeatedly folds back on itself, mimicking the ancient Maeander River of Asia Minor with its many twists and turns.

Georgian era was a period in British history dating from 1714-1837, the Georgian era after the Hanoverian kings George I, George II, George III and George IV.

Measurements (centimeters) 13.5cm High x 36.5cm Wide x 25.5cm Deep