The ornate brass or gilded bronze cartouche reads "Offert Par La Caiss Edes Ecoles du XIIIeme Arrond t Amlle Arnaud", the inner lock mechanism is marked "DIEHL 19 r. Michel le Comte PARIS". We've had this one for several years and had hoped to try to restore the front panel that appears to have some damage due to someone trying to pry the box open in the past (WWII maybe?). In any event, we did do a little bit but not enough to bring it back to its original glory. An exceptional work though with canted lid & octagonal shaping, beautiful foliage & vine brass or gilt bronze inlays accented by mother of pearl and the interior with the original royal blue tufted silk or satin lining. Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811–1885), one of the notable Parisian makers of luxury furniture, writing cases, cabinets, and small decorative objects during the Second Empire and early Third Republic. German-born, he settled in Paris around 1840 and became a highly successful cabinetmaker and tablettier. The Musée d'Orsay confirms his German origins, his move to Paris, and his success in both cabinetmaking and luxury small-object production specializing in jewelry and dressing boxes, cigar boxes, writing cases & document boxes, liqueur cabinets, games & gaming boxes and elaborate furniture with marquetry and gilt-metal decoration. The dedication is particularly interesting, translating to “Presented by the School Fund of the 13th Arrondissement to Mademoiselle Arnaud.”.
The Caisse des écoles was a local school-support organization. These organizations helped provide assistance to schoolchildren and supported public education. The inscription tells us that this was not simply a privately purchased decorative box. It was a presentation gift from an institutional organization to a woman named Arnaud. We don't know whether Mlle Arnaud was a teacher, school administrator, or someone being honored for another reason. An interesting historical connection I found were auction catalogue references to Jules Verne books bearing gold lettering identifying them as gifts from the Caisse des Écoles of the 13th arrondissement, dated 1878 and 1879. This confirms that the organization was making presentation gifts during that period. A stunning decorative casket with historical significance and marked by one of the more prominent of Parisian makers.
Good to very good condition. As noted and evident in the images, it appears that someone tried to pry the obviously locked box open, leaving indentations and some damage to the facade and lock area. All original hardware, lock, etc. but it is missing the key. There is also one thin strip of brass inlay missing from the back/rear of the lid. See images for all measurements.
