This is a magnificent and exceptional quality antique French ormolu-mounted “Boulle” jewellery casket, made in the reign of Napoleon III, circa 1860 in date.
This stunning casket is rectangular in shape and is raised on four extraordinary caryatid feet.
The hinged cover features truly remarkable Boulle inlays in the form of delicate floral and foliate decoration. It opens to reveal a capacious interior which retains its charming original burgundy velvet fabric and is ready to store all your precious items.
There is no mistaking its unique quality and design, which is sure to make it a treasured piece for any discerning collector.
Condition:
In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation of condition.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 14 x Width 30 x Depth 24
Dimensions in inches:
Height 5.5 x Width 11.8 x Depth 9.4
André-Charles Boulle
(1642 – 1732) was the French cabinetmaker who is generally considered to be the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry. His fame in marquetry led to his name being given to a fashion of inlaying known as Boulle (or in 19th-century Britain, Buhl work).
Boulle appears to have been originally a painter, since the first payment to him by the crown of which there is any record (1669) specifies ouvrages de peinture. He was employed for many years at Versailles, where the mirrored walls, the floors of wood mosaic, the inlaid panelling and the marquetry furniture in the Cabinet du Dauphin were regarded as his most remarkable work. These rooms were long since dismantled and their contents dispersed, but Boulle''s drawings for the work are in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
His royal commissions were numerous, as we learn both from the Comptes des B timents du Roi and from the correspondence of Louvois. Not only the most magnificent of French monarchs, but foreign princes and the great nobles and financiers of his own country crowded to him with commissions, and the mot of the abbé de Marolles, Boulle y lourne en ovale, has become a stock quotation in the literature of French cabinetmaking.
Our reference: 09834E
Internal Reference: 09834E
Antique Number: SA768332
Dateline of this antique is 19th Century
Height is 14cm (5.5inches)
Width is 30cm (11.8inches)
Depth is 24cm (9.4inches)
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