Glove Box With Marquetry Case, Napoleon III/second Empire Period

A Second Empire-era glove box – Napoleon III period – in ebonized wood with a rosewood frame and a rosewood interior, by the Parisian fitting room maker Edouard Zimberg. The decoration of cut and chased brass recalls the work of Gothic ironwork. The manufacturer Edouard Zimberg had his workshops at 15 rue de l'Ancienne Comédie and 53 Passage des Panoramas at a time when covered passages competed with enticing boutiques to attract shoppers. This glove box is unique in that it features a rather unusual decoration of mother-of-pearl and steel cabochons, a technique resulting from a patent filed on September 18, 1861. Edouard Zimberg reserved this decorative approach for "a type of decoration for boxes, fitting rooms, liquor cases, etc." His invention was based on "the combination of mother-of-pearl cut into ornaments of any shape, mounted in relief, [...], and enhanced by mother-of-pearl or metal nails." Condition: two small, discreet chips in the marquetry