Indian Bookcases

Indian and Indian-style furniture
It is perhaps worth clarifying what is meant by Indian furniture, in the British furniture retail sector.  Inhabitants of the USA and Canada might, quite naturally, assume that it refers to furniture of the Native Peoples of North America but this would be an error arising from our different geographical and historical backgrounds.  An even more unlikely, though to some still conceivable, interpretation is furniture that has some connection with the Caribbean or West Indies.   

In the UK, most people will realise the term is generally applied to any style of furniture originating from or having been influenced by, the Indian Sub-Continent.  It is not essential to the definition for the furniture to have been made either in the Country of India or even on the Sub-Continent – in the same way that Mexican furniture may not have been built in Mexico.  Now while Indian furniture may be regarded as a relatively new category in Britain, the influences of Indian styling extend back as far as Britain’s first contact with the region, beginning in the 1600s.  Early visitors, explorers and merchants were impressed with the qualities of the many different species of timber and charmed by the elaborate and intricate decorative styles they found.   

Around this time the other great influence on the social and cultural development of Britain was the arrival of the Renaissance.  Printed books were still ‘new technology’ but bookcases were being made by this time, mainly it is true to say, in oak.  Indian bookcases would have been unknown, although this era did see the start of a trade with India of semi-precious materials that could be inlaid to wood to produce decorative furniture.    

What are the styling features that characterise the Indian bookcase?  
Distinguishing between an Indian bookcase, or any other style of bookcase then, as mentioned above, the first point to notice is the choice of timber.  Indian bookcases are almost invariably made of hardwood, some ranges use wood that is similar to ‘European’ timber in that it has an evenness of colour and grain pattern throughout the piece.  Others, such as the Kheri and Granary ranges, take a different approach and exploit the varying colours and grain patterns found in some species of timber.  

Such contrasts in the colour of the wood are as a result of differences between the heartwood and outer wood of the tree.  Heartwood has a greater strength and provides the structure to hold the tree upright while the softer outer wood, or sapwood, carries the moisture and nutrients from root to branch.   Colour variations between the heartwood and sapwood can be very pronounced in some species, ranging from a light, golden yellow to a dark red-brown.  This is particularly noticeable in some larger pieces of furniture such as Indian bookcases.  

Jali decoration
Another major feature of Indian furniture and one that can be seen on some of the more traditional styles of Indian bookcase, is the incorporation of Jali into the design.  Jali decoration is an  intricate style of lattice work that is usually crafted in steel and bonded into the centre of panels in the same way as solid wooden panels might be used in British or European designs.   

The term Jali does not just relate to lattice work used in furniture, but is also the name given to decorative screens used in architecture, for example in mosques and temples of Oriental origin or influence.   It is rare to find fittings such as handles or hinges on an Indian bookcase but, where these are present, they are usually made of metal, are elaborate in style and have a bright finish – typically brass or polished steel.