Red Cedar Jewelry Box with Portrait

A celluloid portrait of Marie Antoinette graces the top of this antique wood jewelry box from days gone by. At first I thought this Arts and Crafts Era box was a pyrography box. Upon closer inspection the diagonal lines on top are not burned but a clean cut grove. As you see, there is also a five pointed star and Swastika. So unfortunate the historical symbol "Swastika" meaning "Good, Good Luck", a positive connotation and in the days of Hitler it became a symbol of hate. Simple hand carved designs border the piece, grooves on the top side edges, the front with slanted grooves and the back edge with zig-zag notches.

The interior was completely lined with mellow-yellow silk. I removed the silk on the lower section because it was falling apart and making a mess. There is an insert in the lower section made of cardboard oil paper which is stitched together with thread. The top is cushioned and still lined with yellow satin, also showing signs of rot, typical of old satin.

The wood is a soft wood which I believe to be Red Cedar stained with a Mahogany finish. The vanity box is dovetailed. The only hardware are the very small nails used on the clasp and hinges. The brass clasp has a swivel bar and works perfect as do the hinges.

The vanity box was lined in crushed red Velvet beneath, still very clean and shows no wear.

Size: 8-1/4" x 5-3/4" x 2-1/2"

Condition: As mentioned above however there is another issue needing to be addressed. The sides on the hinged lid are missing but does not seem to affect the integrity of the box for there isn't any weakness in the wood.

Item ID: 24VB2

Thank you for visiting my shop!

$45 $38 USD SALE

Please Wait...Add to Cart