Islamic & Indian Art (16 Jul 2021 B) Fri, 16th Jul 2021 Viewing: Viewing by appointment only. Fri 9 July, 10am to 5pm Mon 12 July, 10am to 5pm Tue 13 July, 10am to 5pm Wed 14 July, 10am to 8pm Thu 15 July, 10am to 5pm Evening View Wed 14 July, 6pm to 8pm

Please contact the Department to book an appointment. Lot 360

Estimate: £500 - £700 + Fees A SINHALESE EBONY COMMEMORATIVE DOCUMENT HOLDER WITH SILVER MOUNTS Possibly Ceylon, , late 19th - early 20th century A SINHALESE EBONY COMMEMORATIVE DOCUMENT HOLDER WITH SILVER MOUNTS Possibly Ceylon, Sri Lanka, late 19th - early 20th century Of rectangular shape, made of two sections of carved ebony joint together, the corners enhanced with engraved silver mounts with vegetal designs, a square lid to one side fitted with a silver hoop, in the front a gold commemorative plaque engraved with the following inscription "To W. J. Shelley Esqr., Senior Assistant Engineer from the Outdoor and Indoor Staff of the Pelmadulla Railway Extension", 51cm x 5cm x 5cm. In 1864, the British colonial government introduced the rail network in Sri Lanka, with an initial 54-km (34 mi) line connecting (Ceylon) to Ambepussa. The main purpose of this rail system was to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to Colombo ("Ceylon Railway Enthusiasts Circle (CREC)/SLRF". Sri Lanka Railway 145th Anniversary Trip. 2 January 2010). Extensions were made to the mainline in 1867, 1874, 1885, 1894 and 1924 connecting Colombo to main cities like Kandy, Nanu Oya and Badulla ("Sunday Observer". Cameos of the past: First train on line to Badulla from Colombo. 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016). Later on, other lines were added to the rail system, including an 1880 line to Matale; the 1895 Coast Railway Line; the 1905 Northern Line; the 1914 Mannar Line; the 1919 Kelani Valley Line; the 1926 , and the 1928 line to Batticaloa and . In the collection of the Bristol City Council Museum, there is a black and white photographs album dedicated to the project of the Ceylon Railway (Album No. 11). This dates to 1914 - 1915 and it features pictures of the Pelmadulla extension, suggesting that our document holder could have been produced more or less around the same period or shortly after. Qty: 1 51cm x 5cm x 5cm