"Writing: Correspondence Box Epoque 19th Century"
Superb box to write his mail: the ancestor of email! Made in cedar wood and covered in brown leather with a lid embellished with a beautiful vermeil plate. This one-piece cut silver plate has 4 spandrels with the main motif of a scallop shell surrounded by a laurel wreath and a frieze around ribbon bundles. On one of the corners is stamped the 1st French title "la Minerve" and a diamond punch master master goldsmith that I could not decipher. This being the very used fabric under the box clearly indicates us in golden letters: Orfèvres-Joaillers 8 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré PARIS. This is a famous Parisian district still home to renowned goldsmiths. The brown leather is decorated on the lid with a gold iron cartridge and marked with two fleurs-de-lis, the four sides are also decorated with two friezes iron-gilded, one of which takes on the theme of the shell Saint Jacques. The interior is composed of 6 rectangular compartments, three with a concave bottom in burgundy leather and a scraper matches and a small brass candle holder foldable with its original removable bobeche (extraordinary detail that makes all the difference. ..). The inside of the lid is dressed in a red damask fabric in good condition similar to the one worn out under the box. It also includes: 2 candles (1 red, 1 white), 1 engraved perpetrated perpetual calendar, 1 stick of black wax, a beautiful small agate seal with fine white threads, palm leaf shaped stamp is in silver (punch "with the boar's head"). A very nice object that I estimate of the 19th century, difficult to be more precise, except that the punch of the Minerve appeared only from 1838 (only and unique French punch for the money from this dated). To note: considering the quality of realization of this object and its lily flowers one can easily understand that it belonged to a person of quality. I offer the buyer a pen holder in gold metal and black handle with its pen 18 KT. Free delivery for metropolitan France.