Bidspirit auction | A Pair of 19th Century

A Pair of 19th Century Galle Ceylonese Ebony and Porcupine Quill Boxes - Two 19th-century Ceylonese boxes crafted from ebony and porcupine quills, comprising a hexagonal lidded box and a rectangular sliding-top box. The boxes are constructed with dark ebony frames featuring inset panels of vertically and diagonally arranged porcupine quills. The wood surfaces are decorated throughout with numerous circular white bone inlays. The hexagonal box is fitted with brass hinges and a brass escutcheon, while the smaller rectangular box features a functional sliding lid. Both items are lined with red-stained wood. The interior of the hexagonal lid contains a black felt-lined panel decorated with a geometric arrangement of bone dots. Centered on this panel is a bone inlay depicting an elephant above a rectangular plaque reading GALLE.