The Doney by the Company School

We have completed the restoration of this rather unique artefact, the model of a boat ("doney") used on the coast of Coromandel in India, as depicted by the craftsmen of the Company School, circa 1820.

The model is made of wood, fibers, clay and textile and bears a description underneath its stand.

  One will also note with interest the hand written label in French, probably pasted by the French purchaser of this object at the time (more on that later). France had a trading comptoir in Pondicherry, and while Company School artefacts were more popular with British collectors, the French did show interest in the culture of the subcontinent: the painting at the beginning of our post was commissioned by a French collector around 1800 (see the BBC article on the current DAG exhibition in Delhi on Company School works:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg4zx0x778o

This label explains the use of this boat as a ferry for goods and passengers and also notes the use of coconut fibres for the making of ropes.

This is the first time we have found such a model in the market; the only similar piece we could identify in the digital world sits in a museum in Vienna. 

We acquired it in an auction in the North east of France and it came with other Indian figures, as well as a letter from 1830 and some press clipping from circa 1900 related to a French consul, Camille Gaultier.

The boat itself (without the stand) measures 36 cm. It is currently visible at Martaban Road by appointment.