19th Century British Colonial Ceylonese Satinwood and Ebony Cabinet

Early 19th century British Colonial cabinet of wide-paneled and figured solid satinwood with solid ebony trim. Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is one of the few places in the word where satinwood and ebony are indigenous. It was prized by the Dutch colonists and, later, the British colonists, for whom craftsmen fashioned pieces mimicking the British taste but with a local flair. This example incorporates ripple molding, a baroque motif left over from the days of the Dutch colony, in the door panels and cornice. Made using the whole timber, it has two sections. The upper section comprises a cupboard enclosing two shelves. The lower section comprises three short drawers over a cupboard enclosing one shelf. The whole is raised on a scrolled bracket base centered by a carved rosette.