Exceptionally rare museum quality antique French Napoleon I or Georgian era c.1820-1830s complete and near pristine Dieppe sewing set, original box with opulently fitted interior and including 11pc sewing accoutrement inside including figural needle or bodkin cases, box or etui with figural children, birds & birdcage carving, pin cushion wheel, folding ruler with beautiful floral motif, bodkin, thimble, stiletto, small spoon or scoop & pick (in tube form that unscrew for tool) and steel scissors! A truly rare set here, something we might classify as a once in a lifetime find given the extensive nature of the set, the exquisite carving and nearly pristine condition that all of the pieces are in!
During the 1600′s, Dieppe, France was a flourishing seaport and a major commerce center, one of the first in France. The Merchant Prince, D’Ango or the "Medici of Dieppe" as he came to be known, brought great supplies raw materials from Africa and India to the port of Dieppe. The abundance of these materials helped to establish Dieppe as a center known for its fine carvings. Even though Dieppe lost its status as a thriving port after the bombardment during the war of 1694 with England, the unequaled delicacy of the figures, boxes, sewing items and decorative objects that were produced is still recognized today. The Castle Museum in Dieppe has Europe’s largest collection with over one thousand exquisitely sculpted pieces.
“The work of Dieppe artists from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries will probably never be surpassed. Their surviving works are scattered among many museums and private collections but enough of them can be seen at the little Musee of their native town to show that they put their souls into their work, and that the cunning of their hands was guided by a fine sense of the beauty of form and delicacy of detail. These delicious little monuments which they have left behind bear testimony to their wondrous artistic ingenuity, and may be ranked in value with objets d’art cast in the precious metals”. A quote from The Connoisseur, Volume 21, J.T. Herbert Baily 1908, (pg. 164).
All sewing pieces have a weight of 5% or less of the total weight of the set and box. This set dates to around 1820-30s as evidenced by established and reputable reference materials, both in print and online. This item is located in our Utah office and will be shipped from there. Please feel free to email with any questions you may have. Thanks!
Excellent condition. As you can see from the images, the box is superb, obviously treasured and well cared for. The interior has the original red moire silk lining, possibly with a mirror in the lid that is not accessible now. The lift-out tray with tools is missing the small ribbon handles at the sides but the red velvet is near pristine. It has a working lock with key. All of the contents are in remarkable condition. Possibly a tiny nip or two but, as you can see, they really don't come any finer! Just a note, when I found this box I was told it was purchased at auction in England years ago, there was an old price tag in it with marked $8900. See pictures for all measurements.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
