Description: 
A figured rosewood writing box inlaid with floral motifs depicted in contrasting mother of pearl and abalone, opening to a Tyrian purple velvet writing slope and compartments  for writing tools and further compartments for stationary under the flaps.

Origin: United Kingdom

Circa: 1840

Size:  35cm by 23.6 cm by 12 cm: 13.8 inches by 9.3 inches by 4 inches.

Condition: Good over all, working lock and key. The original Tyrian velvet writing surface is distressed, but see below. 

The fast, non-fading purple dye was an item of luxury trade, prized by Romans, who used it to colour ceremonial robes. Pliny the Elder described the dyeing process of two purples in his Natural History^[2]:

"'... the Tyrian hue ... is considered of the best quality when it has exactly the colour of clotted blood, and is of a blackish hue to the sight, but of a shining appearance when held up to the light; hence it is that we find Homer speaking of "purple blood'."

 

The box opens down to reveal an embossed royal purple velvet writing surface and compartments for pens and writing instruments. 

There are  compartments for holding paper under the flaps. 

Tyrian purple velvet. The writing surface has some staining and wear marks, especially in the middle. However because  the historical importance of  this color I would not recommend replacement. The look is of sophisticated quality decadence.

From Wikipedia we learn:

"Tyrian purple (Greek: πορφύρα, porphura), also known as royal purple or imperial purple, is a purple-red dye made by the ancient Canaanites/Phoenicians in the city of Tyre, from a mucus-secretion of the hypobranchial gland of a marine snail known as Murex brandaris or the Spiny dye-murex.  

A synthetic purple was not developed untill the early 20th C.

 

Corner detail: there is a filet of solid rosewood let into the edges. The mother of pearl motifs depict flowers and foliage and are finely executed.

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