Pierre Jeanneret Library Storage Cabinet, Nehru Library PAU, c. 1960

Designed by Pierre Jeanneret for Punjab Agricultural University, this library storage cabinet retains its original working life intact, including drawer labels painted directly onto the fronts at the time of use: ATT. REG., NEWSPAPER, and CARD. Crafted entirely in solid teak, the cabinet combines two shallow drawers across the top, two hinged doors opening to a shelved interior on the left, and a column of five drawers on the right, each with a circular cutout pull. Four compass legs, two at each end, splay outward in the A-frame formation characteristic of the Chandigarh program. The piece retains two institutional stencils: Nehru Library PAU and CCS HAU. The markings indicate successive institutional placement, first within the Nehru Library of Punjab Agricultural University, and subsequently within Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. More than sixty years of institutional life have given the teak a rich, layered patina. Offered as found. Lightly cleaned and unrestored.