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Description:
Ref: 704JB http://hygra.com/box/704JB 

Ingeniously shaped box in rosewood and sycamore, decorated in penwork, inlay and a hand-colored print of idealised classical figures. It stands on the original gilded feet and has original handles. It is influenced by the second phase of the neoclassical tradition, when the early austere forms gave way to more monumental and even organic designs. An iconic gem of the period. inside it is lined with its original silk and has a replacement velvet covered tray. Circa 1815.

Origin: UK ;  Circa: 1815; Materials: rosewood sycamore and brass.

Size: 24.8 cm wide by 19.6 cm by 12.7 cm:   9.8 inches wide by  7.7 inches by  5 inches.

Condition: good overall; some rubbing, discoloration and wear on the print; working lock and key; see images.

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Three quarter view showing the complexity of form, which combines rounded, straight and sloping elements. The structure gives the piece the strength glimpsed from ancient monuments, but the rounded elements mitigate its architectural severity, by introducing softer lines of a more organic nature. A very difficult and time consuming structure to make, it is obviously the work of a master craftsman. The decoration is well orchestrated with the shape, the result being a small artistic gem of the Regency.

The top shows a figure in classical robes cradling an infant in his cradle. The end view of the cradle is anthemion-shaped, a motif of classical origin. 

Romanticised classical figures, especially young women in ethereal robes, were the height of fashion in Regency England, both in life and art. The figure could be Venus and Eros.

Inside view. The tray is a replacement. There is an additional velvet covered cover to the inside of the lid to match the cover of the tray.

Front view. The rounded part is decorated with stylised flowers and leaves in penwork. The diamond shapes on the side are also in penwork. The rest of the framing in diamond shapes is executed in inlay of light and dark wood.

The pattern of the inlay framing is continued onto the penwork.

Side view continuing the theme of the front. 

Back view.

Second side.

 The gilded brass handles are particularly fine, featuring an abstraction of an anthemion (honeysuckle), the whole worked with a threaded detail, giving 
it texture and depth.

Three quarter view demonstrating how well the whole box is elevated to the full appreciation of its form by the feet. The feet are flattened balls covered with acanthus leaves, introducing another neoclassical motif.

Back view with the box open, showing the complexity and harmony of the flat, sloping and rounded elements of its form.

Top. It hints at softens with the rounded edge, protecting the figures in the centre.

Detail of tray covered in cotton velvet.

The inside of the box retains its original silk.

Underside covered in new paper.

Original lock.

 
Detail of corner. The joining of rosewood to penwork decorated sycamore is invisible.

Detail of handle showing how it hangs proud of the rosewood part. 

The box is almost certainly by the same maker as a large and important sewing box illustrated in our book on antique boxes and tea caddies.

Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society, 1700--1880 
Antigone Clarke & Joseph O'Kelly, ISBN: 0764316885