#6817                                                                                  

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Palais Royal Necessaire  - Measuring 7 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" high, this box is exceptionally pretty.  It has a beautiful shape and some lovely brass ornamentation.   In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the finest needlework tools in the world were being made in Paris in the palais royal district.   Louis Phillipe turned a section of the royal palace into a shopping arcade where only the finest artisans were allowed to set up shop.   This lovely necessaire was made there.  

The fitted velvet tray holds the following:  mother of pearl handled scissors, needlecase with an enameled pansy that is the signature of the palais royal, thimble, stiletto and two silk winders as well as a delicate cut crystal scent bottle and an embroidered and spangled pincushion.   The set is missing its bodkin.  The mirror retains its original chenille edging and the bottom of the box is lined in silk.        

The box has three small chips in the veneer (on the ends) but is otherwise in very good condition.   The thimble is missing its enamelled pansy but is also in very good condition.   One of the silkwinders has had one lobe reattached (see top winder, top lobe in the third picture) and the winders are not original to the box.  They are just a tiny bit too large.   The needlecase fits a bit loosely but that is pretty minor.   Overall, the set is in good condition.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $2295.00               

                                                                       #6107                                                                                  

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Mother of Pearl Etui - This lovely etui is made of gilt and mother of pearl with beautiful and ornate gilt medallians on both sides.   It is circa 1780 - 1800.  The tools inside the etui are original and include:  gilt scissors, pencil case, stiletto/earspoon, snuff spoon and penknife as well as an ivory aide memoire.  It is fairly rare to find an etui made of mother of pearl and this one is quite beautiful.  

The tools inside the etui are in excellent condition.  The case has however, suffered a bit of damage.  As is visable in the third picture, a piece of mother of pearl is missing on the back of the top of the etui.  The mother of pearl is also missing from the bottom and the top of the etui but surprisingly, none of these three areas are actually very noticable. So, they don't seem to detract very much from the beauty of the piece.  

When I purchased the etui the top was detached from the bottom of the etui.  It was a fairly simple hinge repair so I had the repair done by an expert restorer.   The repair is barely visable. Again, see the third picture.   The problem with the repair is that the top will no longer close over the tools.  The first picture shows the extent that the case will now close.   In spite of the condition problems, this is still a lovely and rare antique of extreme age which displays beautifully.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $1525.00           

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  #6778                         

Avery Figural Needlecase - In the third quarter of the 19th century, a very creative needle manufacturer by the name of William Avery began to make many delightful figural brass needlcases in which to sell his needle packets.  They have been called  "re-crea- tions in miniature, of the Victorian world".   And of course, they were tremendously popular with the Victorians just as they are highly prized today.      

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This very rare avery is called " The Bombe" and it is pictured in Fig. 60 of the wonderful book entitled Victorian Brass Needlecases by Estelle Horowitz and Ruth Mann.   The needlecase opens and shuts by turning the bottom of the needlecase. It is signed on the bottom with "Registered June 28th, 1872  W. Avery & Son Redditch".   There are a couple of very minor dents in the top of the needlecase but it is otherwise in very good condition.                                                                                       $425.00

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  #6751                         

Penwork Playing Card Box - Measuring 6" x 4 1/2" x 1 7/8" high, this stunning box is meant to hold playing cards.   Penwork is a technique that is exactly what is sounds like - it is a technique of decorating wood using pen and ink.    

The top as well as all four sides of the box are beau- tifully decorated with cherubs, garlands, swirls and a majestic crown.  As the pictures illustrate, the box is quite lovely.   Inside the box, there are two compartments meant to hold two decks of cards.            

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The condition of the box is very good.   The hinges are original and are in good working order and the green felt lining the bottom of the box is original.   There are a few scratches in the finish of the box, but nothing that is very noticable at all.                                                                                                                                                                   $195.00

                                                                       #6590                                                                                  

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Straw Work Box - This unusual little sewing box is made of straw work and is possibly French prisoner of war work.   During the Napoleanic wars French prisoners were required to earn their keep by making items to be sold to the English population.  Straw work was a popular technique used at the time by the prisoners.      

The box measures 6" x 4" x 2" high and it features a town scene on both the top and the bottom of the box.   The inside lid of the box has a small mirror and a star pattern on the inner lid.  The box is figural in that it is made in the shape of a book.

Sadly, the condition of the box is only fair.  The third picture shows that the straw has worn away on the spine of the "book", showing the paper below the straw.  In addition, both the top and the bottom of the box are a bit warped.  Because of the warping, the bottom of the box has become separated just along the front.   Only one of the three bone edges for the thread holes is still present on the front of the box.                                                                                                                                                                           $325.00           

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  #6444                         

Spectacles Case - Made of paper mache' with gold embossing, this charming spectacles case is circa 1880.  It opens from the back of the case on one end.   Paper mache' was enormously popular with the Victorians.  It was considered to be England's answer to Japanese lacquer ware.        

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Other than a bit of wear to the lining, the case is in very good condition.   It opens nicely and closes tightly.                                                                                                                             $185.00

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#6398

Glass Pin Disc -  This beautiful reverse painted glass pin disc features a stun- ning view of a church labelled "St. John's  Lowestoft".    19th Century reverse painting on glass required a very time consuming process of painting one color at a time and allowing it to dry before moving on to the next color.   It also required that the artist paint everything backwards, so these little beauties were quite difficult to produce and of course they are highly prized today.                                                                                                                                      $265.00