Cigar Box, Wolfers, Sterling Silver, Art Deco, Brussels Circa 1920-30

Lovely and extremely rare cigar box from the Art Deco period in solid  guilloché silver  by the hand of the famous Brussels master goldsmith Philippe Wolfers. The Belgian national art and history museums recently dedicated an entire room to the production of this prestigious line of goldsmiths, jewelers and artists. For the occasion, the original interior of the Wolfers boutique designed by Victor Horta has been reassembled in a room in the museum. There are sculptures, sumptuous Art Nouveau jewelry and silverware of all styles produced by this famous workshop . Its guilloché and engraved decoration is not only strictly decorative, it also serves to hide the fingerprints which are inevitably found on such an object. Philippe Wolfers seems to have wanted to make a modernist interpretation of the Russian cigar boxes which were very fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century and of which I have added two photo examples. The interior is made of wood and is modular thanks to a removable side . The 800% silver guarantee hallmark, the triangular goldsmith's hallmark adorned with three stars and a mint number are on the bottom of the box. She has a gross weight of 520 grams.