Ivory craft from Vizag adorns royal palace in UK

VISAKHAPATNAM: Once upon a time, over 200 years ago, the port city was known for its craftwork. The intricate ivory inlay work artefacts and furniture that the colonial era Vizagapatnam was famous for, have adorned various European and royal museums, including the Buckingham Palace in London.
The peak period of ivory craft production was between the late 18th and early 20th century.The tale of the city’s unsung artisans had faded into history, till John Castellas set upon the painstaking task of undertaking a research about the close connection between Vizag’s ivory craft and the West.

Five generations of Castellas’ family lived here. He studied at St Aloysius School before migrating to Australia in 1966. Castellas gathered all available data on the subject in collaboration with heritage narrator Jayshree Hatangadi, whose family was once associated with ivory craft at the erstwhile antique store, Eastern Art Museum.
In 1775, the then governor of Madras bought several ivory-engraved sandalwood armchairs and shipped them to his estate in England. Queen Charlotte got some of those chairs from his estate, which later adorned the royal rooms of George III and IV. Years later, Queen Victoria shifted them to Buckingham Palace.
Tipoo Sultan’s chair, too, was made in Vizagapatnam in 1770 (a round chair of yellow teak, veneered with ivory). It currently is a prized collection at Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with an engraved silver plaque proudly declaring: ‘Formerly the property of Tipoo Saib, and presented to Queen Charlotte’.
When the Prince of Wales toured India in 1875-76, he was presented with an ornamental palanquin of wood and ivory veneer by the then queen of Bobbili.
So what whetted his interest in Vizag’s ivory craft? “In 2017, I came upon an advertisement of an ivory sewing box showcasing the famous Dolphin’s Nose hill of Vizag and sailing ships at an antique sale in the UK. It sparked my interest in tracing the connection between the ivory craft of Vizagapatnam and Europe,” Castellas told TOI.
The ivory crafts manufactured at the time included cabinets, writing desks, chairs, tables, photo frames, cigarette cases, cardholders, stocks on firearms, inkstands, fountain pen holders, chess tables, clock stands, bookends, sewing and gift boxes, hat and umbrella stand and tea caddies. Some of these crafts are showcased at the Visakha Museum.
“The maharajas of Vizianagaram, Kurpum and Bobbilli owned workshops and gifted the best creations of their craftsmen to officers of the East India Company with royal inscriptions. The Kamsali artisans, who used to stay on the Beach Road, adapted their goldsmith skills to ivory inlay and applied it on western furniture forms. Ivory was locally available while African ivory was shipped,” says Castellas.
Eliza Fay, wife of a British governor (1756-1816) who stayed in the city, wrote in her diary: “I truly love this quaint town and market, bought some beautiful sandalwood and ivory boxes, for which I am told this place is so famous for.”
The Eastern Art Museum (EAM), which was started in the early 20th century by Jayshree Hatangadi’s grandfather CV Ramana Murthy, used to maintain a team of artisans who worked together under leadership of head craftsmen Peddayya and Veerachari.