Sewing box 

jewelry-boxes

tea caddies

Anglo-Indian

Chinese- export

penwork

Tunbridgeware

papier-mâché

Snuff boxes 

terms

Advanced Search

Youtube Channel

contents

Description:
Ref: 690JB http://hygra.com/box/690JB 

Kingwood and brass fully fitted dressing box
The style of the box and the silver are also what we would expect to be commissioned by an aristocratic patroness in the first years of the Victorian era, before the elegance of the Regency gave way to the opulence of the mid 19th century. 

The workmanship that created the box is of impeccable quality. The veneer is saw-cut kingwood, a costly timber rarely used for whole boxes, on account of its narrow width. The subtly beautiful figure of the wood is accented discreetly with brass lines, the thicker edge  piece featuring an engraved line, which softens the austerity of the brass.

The design incorporates the quiet grace and subtlety characteristic of an age steeped in the quiet dignity of neo classicism. 

A piece of paper in the box claims it was owned by Daisy Countess of Warwick who's most significant lover was the Prince of Wales later Edward VII. 

The gilded silver is of thick gauge. The decoration combines pierced and chased patterns of stylised flora, executed with controlled fluidity, in the best tradition of the time, which accepted the beauty of natural forms but interpreted it through the prism of neo classicism. The gilded silver is hallmarked London 1839 and has the maker's or sponsor's mark for Charles Rawlings and William Summers This form of decoration predates the engraved or repousse decoration found in later dressing boxes. 

The surviving crystal containers are superbly  and elaborately cut.

Origin: UK ;  Circa: 1839-1871; Materials: Kingwood, Brass, cut glass, silver, velvet, and leather .

Size: 36cm wide by 25.8cm by 14.5cm:  14.17 inches wide by  10.16 inches by 5.7  inches.

Condition: good overall; working lock and key; see images and notes.

Request current  list of available sewing boxes with prices.
Request current  list of available writing boxes with prices.
Request current  list of available jewelry boxes with prices.
Request current  list of available tea caddies with prices.

boxes@hygra.com

Video:

   

The note above was in the dressing box. The people mentioned in it are no longer with us, so we cannot check the authenticity of the information. However there is no reason to doubt this chapter of the history of the box. Several points support the probability that this luxurious object was the property of a person fitting the profile of Daisy:          The initials engraved on the silver match Daisy’s initials. The date on the silver tops predates Daisy’s birth by about twenty years. However this is not unusual in a family heirloom of such quality, which would have been expected to pass down from generation to generation.          The style of the box and the silver are also what we would expect to be commissioned by an aristocratic patroness in the first years of the Victorian era, before the elegance of the Regency gave way to the opulence of the mid 19th century.        The workmanship that created the box is of impeccable quality. The veneer is saw-cut kingwood, a costly timber rarely used for whole boxes, on account of its narrow width. The subtly beautiful figure of the wood is accented discreetly with brass lines, the thicker piece featuring an engraved line, which softens the austerity of the brass.

        

 The design incorporates the quiet grace and subtlety characteristic of an age steeped in the quiet dignity of neo classicism.

 The gilded silver is of thick gauge. The decoration combines pierced  and chased patterns of stylised flora, executed with controlled fluidity, in the best tradition of the time, which accepted the beauty of natural forms but interpreted it through the  prism of neo classicism. This form of decoration predates the engraved or repousse decoration found in later dressing boxes.

 The surviving crystal containers are superbly cut.

 So all in all this was definitely a box which sat comfortably in the household of an aristocratic family of cultured aesthetic sensibility.

 It is interesting to compare it to http://hygra.com/uk/jb2/JB317/ 

When the box came into our possession, I had no idea who Daisy was. Fortunately Sushila Anand had researched the life of this remarkable person and written her biography. We owe her a big posthumous thank you.

As I began to read, I was astonished to find a woman who deserves to be not just well known, but also celebrated for her achievements. Born in an age when women were expected to be merely ornamental, Daisy became a social and political force, stronger than many a man of her time. She was a blazing social reformer and she was known as Red Daisy. In 1923 she stood against Anthony Eden, but inevitably, she lost. Daisy was far ahead of historical possibilities. Going against the natural propensities of her class, Daisy espoused socialism, supporting the cause both practically and politically. Victorian patronising charity, without addressing the root of poverty was not acceptable to her robust and fair way of thinking. She was ahead of her time but used her Victorian position of privilege and wealth to actively promote better nutrition and education for underprivileged children.

Her political astuteness and foresight was recognised by many important political figures, including Winston Churchill. Such men were on dining terms with her, would often join her in house parties and consult with her. Daisy confronted the accepted mores of her time with indomitable courage. Her support of the rights of every man and especially her sympathy for conscientious objectors made her a pariah among some of her peers.

 

 

Daisy was also a champion of animal rights. She was the chairman of the Essex branch of the RSPCA and gave shelter to retired circus ponies on her estate.  

 Daisy’s private life sometimes overshadows the real achievements of her life. An aristocratic beauty, her glamour could not fail but dazzle. She married Lord Brooke, heir to the Earl of Warwick. The Prince of Wales signed the register of her marriage, in spite the fact that she rejected one of his brothers, choosing instead to marry for love. Her marriage was not a great success. “Brookie” could not match her expansive personality, although she had two surviving children during the active duration of the marriage. Daisy embarked on affairs, her most significant lover being the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), who appears to have been truly in love with her. He remained a fond and loyal friend even after she gave him up after nine years for a man who gave her two more children and abandoned her.

 Broken hearted and disappointed in her personal life, Daisy directed her indomitable energy and courage for the betterment of society. She soldiered on until 1938. She was at least spared the pain of the second world war.

 Daisy deserves to be more widely known and admired. I am glad the box has spurred me on to read her biography and I hope others will be inspired to find out more about this charismatic and brave woman. She is indeed an inspiration.

 See: “Daisy The Life and Loves of the Countess of Warwick ” by Sushila Anand.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Greville,_Countess_of_Warwick 

Inside the box there are cut glass jars and bottles and boxes. The tops are gilded silver. In the center there is a further lift-out tray with cut steel scissors and mother of pearl handled tweezers, nail-file and corkscrew.

The facings are cross banding of Kingwood.

The lock-plate is stamped:

"J T NEEDS 128 Piccadilly"  and LATE J BRAMAH 124 Piccadilly" with a crown."

J T Needs took over from Bramah in 1871

The working lock is Bramah type. 

The  patented Brahma lock. 

To engage the key is pushed into the lock. The sprung  levers of the lock are brought to the right positions by grooves cut in the barrel of the key rather than the flag.  

see: 

Antique Bramah Locks

Opening an Antique Bramah Box Lock

The silver is of heavy gauge and both pierced and chased. Stylized acanthus leaves are framed by a Greek-key pattern.  

The hinges are stamped "E Wells & Co PATENT" .

They are particular in that they are deeply recessed into the sides and almost invisible when the box is closed.  The screw fastening are hidden behind the velvet lining.  

 Front view: a central panel of dramatically figured   kingwood is cross banded with further kingwood. The whole is framed with brass. and a further inlaid line.

The edging brass features an engraved lines, which softens the austerity of the brass.

The figure and the orchestration of the top is exceptional.

Kingwood trees are thin and wide pieces just do not exist. The central piece is created from two slices one turned over to give a mirror image reflection of the other. The line of join can only be seen when carefully examined. The line of brass inlay punctuates and accents the cross banding.

The Edging brass features an engraved lines, which softens the austerity of the brass.

 

King wood is a type of rosewood. The French called it bois de violette, to distinguish it from rosewood which they called bois de rose. I think the French names are more from the scent given off when the wood is worked than from the appearance. 

It is the sort of figure which stimulates the imagination.

The grain figure  of rosewood has been long admired by the Chinese. 

Corner detail. The brass inlay lines are mitered. the brass edging is secured to the box with pins as well as glue. The pins will have been driven in at an angle.

Each piece of brass will have been pre-prepared when shaped it will have had the joins brazed with brass with a slightly lower melting temperature.

When in place on the box the lines will have been chased in.

 

 

Side view: the complexity of the  Wells patent hinge gives a simplicity of design.

The box has counter sunk brass carrying handles. 

The grain of the wood is such that it is probably from the same log as the top. 

Indeed it is likely that the project of making the box started from the log. 

I find it strange that the piece of brass at the bottom is in three sections requiring more pins and predrilling  to hold in  place. This added to the work! The factory/craftsman clearly gave high value to the prepared brass section.

At the top each section of brass locks into the other using almost dovetails.

In the center there is a further lift-out tray with cut steel scissors and mother of pearl handled tweezers, nail-file and corkscrew.

Beneath the tray there is a velvet lined compartment.

 The perfume bottles are in themselves exquisite. The curved shoulders are cut with a hobnail cut. This is associated with glass being manufactured in both Cork and Waterford.

The fluted cuts are all slightly uneven. I wonder if they record the sound of the workshop where they were cut!

There is something so connecting  to time, place, and craftsman  in an object like this.

The tax on the weight of materials used in glass manufacturing in England and Scotland did not apply in Ireland until 1825. 

This resulted in the setting up of glassworks in various port towns in Ireland such as Waterford and Cork (1783). 

 

Looking down on the perfume bottle. We say perfume, but I am sure some box owners must have filled their bottles with drink or even laudanum an alcoholic preparation of opium: 

Until the early 20th century, laudanum was sold without a prescription and was a constituent of many patent medicines. Today, laudanum is strictly regulated and controlled throughout the world.

It took real mastery of cutting to get the screw to work well with the thread of the silver screw cap.

The screw caps are of a heavy gauge and are gilded both inside and out. They have a full assay mark for London 1839 and the maker/sponsor mark: Charles Rawlings and William Summers. 

The thread looks cut.

The gilded silver has the hall marks for London 1839. 
The sponsor's or maker's mark is that of Charles Rawlings and and William Summers. 

The partnership began in 1829 when their address was Brook Street Holborn. They moved to 10 Great Marlborough Street,  Regent Street at the beginning of 1839. 

The partnership produced snuff boxes, wine-labels as well as lids such as this.

Beneath the screw-cap the threaded top. This is blown glass which cut. The bottles have ground glass stoppers. To achieve the rectangular shape The glass would have been blown in a pre heated mold.

 

 The underside is cut with a double star.

Care must always be taken when stoppers are stuck. Patience is necessary too;  not enough was taken here though!

Penetrating  oils can work. Above all do not use force which applies to much stress. Gently heating in warm water, applying the penetrating oil... the process is repeated over several days. If a die is added to the lubricant there will be an indication of how far it has penetrated.

Detail: the screw cap of one of the perfume bottles.
each have a full set of Hallmarks.

Small cut glass perfume bottle with cut screw thread for the gilded silver cap. As the larger bottles it has a hobnail cut to the shoulders and fluting to the sides as well as a star motif to the base. 

The inkwell is decorated with a continuous Greek-key pattern to the top. 

The box also has two other small scent bottles, which although the same period as the main bottles are of a much simpler design. 

The hall marks on the lids of the larger boxes are done with  slightly larger punches. They are the same maker and date:  

The piercing is all hand cut, evidenced by the piercing saw marks which can be seen under magnification.

London 1839. 
The sponsor's or maker's mark is that of Charles Rawlings and and William Summers. 

The partnership began in 1829 when their address was Brook Street Holborn. They moved to 10 Great Marlborough Street,  Regent Street at the beginning of 1839. 

The glass of the long box is simple and not ornamentally cut. It is a later replacement. 

In the center there is a further lift-out tray with cut steel scissors and mother of pearl handled tweezers, nail-file and corkscrew.

 The underside is covered with gray-blue felt to protect furniture from being scratched. This looks original.

The gilded silver has the hall marks for London 1839. 
The sponsor's or maker's mark is that of Charles Rawlings and and William Summers. 

The partnership began in 1829 when their address was Brook Street Holborn. They moved to 10 Great Marlborough Street,  Regent Street at the beginning of 1839. 

The partnership produced snuff boxes, wine-labels as well as lids such as this.