Rajasthani camel yoke shelves. 18th - 19th century.

I bought this piece, along with two other similar ones, during a teaching trip to Rajasthan in 2008. At the time, I was living in Thailand and had them shipped from India. About ten years later, when I moved with my family to France, I had them shipped from Bangkok to Marseille. One of them is now in my workshop, mounted high above a Burmese map chest. My problem is that I no longer have enough space for the others, which is why I am parting with this one. It is a magnificent piece, made from two teak or sal wood camel cart yokes from Rajasthan, dating from the late 18th or early 19th century. These relics, witnesses to traditional Indian craftsmanship, feature a rich texture and are bound with hand-forged iron straps. Their original brass fittings bear the patina of centuries of use. The wood, iron, and brass shine brilliantly, and although there are marks of time in places, they, in my eyes, testify to their long and rich history, when they were yoked to camels and transported travellers across a beautiful part of the world. It is a link to a bygone era.