Blackened Wood And Brass Glove Box, Late 19th Century, Napoleon III

Blackened wooden glove box with brass fillet inlays. On the box, a blind cartouche with delicate interlaced patterns. Opens from the front. On the underside is the original label from the merchant “Christen, 81 rue des Carmes, Rouen.”
In good overall condition; does not include its key.

Date: late 19th century; Napoleon III style

Dimensions: H 9 x W 29.2 x D 10.2 cm

Glove boxes made of blackened wood and brass trim are characteristic of the Second Empire. Inspired by works created in “Boulle marquetry” on ebony wood (17^th and 18^th centuries), they reflect the historicist taste that characterized the years 1855–1885. The wood—usually pear or beech stained black to imitate ebony—is accented with inlaid brass trim, sometimes combined with mother-of-pearl or tortoiseshell in the most luxurious models.

These boxes were designed to hold long leather gloves—an essential accessory of bourgeois attire—as well as fans, lace, or small toiletries. Made primarily in Paris, but also in several French centers of tabletterie and cabinetmaking, they were distributed through a wide network of merchants and luxury goods stores in the provinces, which frequently affixed their own brand labels.

Their craftsmanship, the delicacy of their metal inlays, and their elongated silhouette make them one of the most representative examples today of the furniture and aesthetics of the second half of the 19th century.