A delightful old panel

A large panel made of gutta-percha resin, identical in composition to rubber. Long before gutta-percha was introduced to the Western world, it was used in a less processed form by the natives of the Malaysian archipelago to make knife handles, canes and other purposes. The first European to discover this material in 1656 was John Tradescant. In the mid19th century, gutta-percha was used for the manufacture of furniture and furniture, in particular by the Gutta Percha Company, founded in 1847 in London.
Exotic works of art - panels made by pressing in Southeast Asia, book covers, caskets, photo frames, as well as jewelry, were popular in Europe in the late 19th - early 20th century. In addition to trinkets, it was used for the production of golf balls, insulating, dental materials. Gutta-percha gradually fell out of use in many industries, in my opinion, now it is used only in dentistry.

Panels of the late 19th - early 20th century.
Excellent preservation for more than a century of age.