COLONIAL FURNITURE

Denise Charnaud talks to Janet Gleeson about her collection of Sri Lankan, or Ceylonese, furniture

When was it made? It all started in the late 16th century with the Portuguese, the earliest European se!lers in this part of the world. Then from the mid 17th century the Dutch, French and British established colonies. The se!lers employed local cabinetmakers to copy Western pieces using indigenous hardwoods. In Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) cra"smen in Galle and other centres were highly skilled in carving and tailored their output to the demands of the colonists. The result was a wonderfully exotic hybrid that fused Western styles with Eastern tradition. What sorts of pieces can you nd? A variety of chairs, chests, cupboards, tables and caskets were made. Large cupboards, known as almirahs, from the Portuguese armário, were regarded as status symbols and were popular with colonial se!lers and the local elite. Chests and trunks were used for storing valuables or rice, o"en adorned with carved low-relief ebony plaques or brass mounts.

Tell us about the materials they used

Sri Lanka was regarded as a tropical paradise and the abundance of native exotic woods available was an a!raction to colonial se!lers. The most expensive pieces were made from ebony and coromandel. Simpler furniture was also made from indigenous timbers such as nadun, jackwood, teak, mahogany, coconut wood and satinwood. Which items should I look out for? Specimen tables are especially sought a"er. Popular from the 1830s and usually following the form of a pedestal table with a circular or octagonal top, they were typically constructed from ebony or ebonised wood, inlaid in a radiating #ower pa!ern with petals of di$erent woods, which showcased the variety of local timbers. Westerners loved them and still do – they were produced throughout the 19th century and reproductions are still made today.

Is this furniture hard to nd?

Although much of it was produced for colonial se!lers, during the 19th century demand grew. High-quality furniture was made for export. Se!lers also brought back pieces when they returned to Europe and, as a result, it isn’t too di%cult to &nd examples at auction and from dealers. Prices vary from low hundreds to thousands.

CLOCKWISE FROMRIGHT Late 19th-century Ceylonese coffer, £3,600, Lorfords; 19th-century Ceylonese/ Dutch-style cabinet made from jackwood and ebony and a Ceylonese specimen table are displayed in Janet’s hall; the 18th/19thcentury chest in Janet’s drawing room is typical of colonial furniture made in Sri Lanka; Ceylonese solid satinwood and ebony caned piano stool c1890, £704, 1st Dibs.

ABOVE 19th-century ebonised carved Ceylonese settee, £9,500, McWhirter.