Three Exceptional Sinhalese Palm Leaf (Ola) Books & Covers
Sri Lanka
dated 1881 & 1882
Inventory no.: 219
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Small Silver Box
Sri Lanka/Ceylon
early 20th century
Inventory no.: 334
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Seven Lime Containers for Betel (Killotaya)
Ceylon/Sri Lanka
19th century & early 20th century
Inventory no.: 336
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Etched Brass & Copper Tobacco/Betel Box
Sri Lanka
circa 1720
Inventory no.: 683
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Brass Door Handle & Rose
Southern India or Sri Lanka
20th century
Inventory no.:  705
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Parcel-Gilt Silver Pomander with Rose-cut Diamonds, Sapphires & Malachite
West India or Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
19th century
Inventory no.: 746
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Unusually Large Etched Brass & Copper Tobacco/Betel Box
Sri Lanka
circa 1720
Inventory no.: 780
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Repousse Silver Dish
Kandy, Sri Lanka (Ceylon )
19th century
Inventory no.: 840
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Silver Betelnut Lime Box & Spatula (Killotaya)
Sri Lanka
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 900
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Large Ceremonial Brass Tazza (Dalumura Tatuva)
Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 960
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Tortoiseshell Betel Box with Engraved, Parcel-gilt Silver Mounts
Sri Lanka
late 18th century
Inventory no.: 1010
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Magnificent Carved Ebony Box
Sri Lanka
early 19th century
Inventory no.: 1100
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Silver-Gilt Hairpin with Pink Sapphires
Coastal Regions, Sri Lanka
circa 1890
Inventory no.: 1097
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Polychrome Wooden Dance Mask of Gurulu Raksha
Sri Lanka
circa 1920
Inventory no.: 1160
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Small Silver Dish Repoussed with Bherunda Pakshaya Motif
Sri Lanka
circa 1900
Inventory no.: 1179
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Matara 'Diamond' Brooch with Gold & Silver Mounts
Coastal Regions, Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 1187
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Two Engraved Brass Betel or Tobacco Boxes
Sri Lanka
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1203
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Monk’s Turned Ivory Fan Handle
Kandy, Sri Lanka
18th century
Inventory no.: 1244
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Engraved Ritual Conch or Trumpet Shell
India or Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 1257
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Michael Backman Ltd
Art from Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
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Engraved & Gilt Cigarette Case
Kandy, Sri Lanka
circa 1910
Inventory no.: 1245
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Repoussed Silver Dish
Kandy, Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 1261
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Woven Cane Jewellery Basket with Engraved Silver
Mounts (Vel-pettiya)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1293
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Woven Cane Jewellery Basket with Brass Mounts
(Vel-pettiya)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1292
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Large Chased Silver Jewellery Casket
Kandy, Sri Lanka
circa 1870
length: 36cm
Inventory no.: 1311
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Silver Lidded Box
Kandy, Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 1287
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Larger Repoussed Silver Dish
Kandy, Sri Lanka
19th century
Inventory no.: 1322
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Piha-kaetta Dagger with Ivory Handle, Parcel-Gilt Silver Mounts, & Scabbard
Kandy, Sri Lanka
18th century
Inventory no.: 1484
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Piha-Kaetta Knife with Horn Hilt & Gold & Silver Mounts
Kandy, Sri Lanka
18th century
Inventory no.: 1398
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From where do we source our items? We do not go on buying trips to Asia. Nor do we actively buy from dealers or suppliers based in Asia. We do not
source items from Sri Lanka itself for example. Almost all the items stocked by Michael Backman Ltd have been sourced from the UK - from old collections.
Countless items were brought to the UK during the colonial era by colonial administrators and the like. Other items were made in Asia for export to the UK – the
UK was wealthy early: it has been a major destination for the world’s exports for hundreds of years.  This means that most of our items have been in the UK for
at least sixty to two hundred years.
 The conditions in which they have been kept often has been very good – the climate is kind, and there are relatively few pests. Many items were acquired as
keepsakes and curios, meaning that they stopped being used once they came to the UK. This too has helped to preserve them and their conditions often are far
better than had they remained in their home countries. Buying from old UK sources means that the items have good provenance; it helps to avoid fakes, and
items that have been amended or embellished. It also means that our items are obtained legally – today, most countries in Asia prohibit the export of their
antiques. So, because of its colonial past, the UK is perhaps the world’s biggest source of genuine antiques from Asia, perhaps more so than Asia itself, and that
is the source into which we tap.
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Seated Bronze Buddha
Sri Lanka
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1557
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Silver & Matara ‘Diamond’ Choker Necklace
Sri Lanka
early 20th century
Inventory  no.: 1502
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Silver & Gold Kondakoora Hairpin/Brooch with Matara ‘Diamonds’
Coastal Regions, Sri Lanka
early 20th century
Inventory no.: 1439
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