Antique French Nap III Opaline Sugar Casket, HP & Ormolu - Jewelry Box or Casket

Antique French Nap III Opaline Sugar Casket, HP & Ormolu - Jewelry Box or Casket

Some will call these jewellery caskets or boxes, but in fact the traditional use for these was as a coffret for sugar. Yes, and many from the late 1700s were complete with a lock, to lock away the very exotic luxury, sugar. Things we take for granted have surprisingly interesting and often elevated beginnings, and both sugar and chocolate are among those. So these sugar caskets of old French opaline, usually late 1700s to early 1800s are a wonderful collection item, rich with history as well as just flat-out beautiful. The earliest ones were small, again owing to the high cost of imported sugar. This is a smallish French opaline casket or 'coffret' in French, which is probably toward the later part of the tradition, and lacking a lock, tells us that sugar caskets, like sugar prices, had come down to a bit more bourgeois portion of society by this time. We place this one in the Napoleon III era (Louis-Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon I) with dates between 1850-70, give or take 10 years. Beautifully painted, it retains the old charm and aesthetic, as well as great historical relevance. Perfectly sized for cubed sugar at tea, or for packets of sweetener, elevated to fine art at table. Or use it for jewellery if you choose.

Very good to excellent condition, without any chips or breaks or damage to the old opaline glass. The hand painted surface remains complete and beautiful in its simplicity. The dore or ormolu framework, feet, hinged handle and clasp all remain in fine condition, as well. A real gem, whether you collect these old opaline boxes or plan to have just one.

Item ID: 611opcskt

$595 $506 USD SALE

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