Griffins (Gryphons) and dragons, figural marquetry work of art with ebony and ivory marquetry veneers on thick heavy solid hardwood. Perhaps a marriage chest, it has a finished interior that includes a mirror set into the inner lid. Worked on all sides, the box is going to show beautifully from all sides. While I think it began life as a marriage chest or vanity chest, it would be a truly epic cigar chest now. Not a humidifier, and please don't add one (will ruin the box) but storage for wrapped cigars, and opulent service chest. An old one from my personal collections, now being disbursed (I'm old!). Thank you for enjoying these lifetime treasures I've collected. It's been such a great pleasure owning museum pieces like this, and passing them along.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. These Italian works of art date to early-mid 1800s, rare but likely a special Grand Tour souvenir, early Victorian era. Beautifully finished, there are no chips or cracks on those layered edges of the wood base, or edges of the top of the box. I find no lifts at all in all that marquetry work, one very tiny chip on wood beside ivory on one spot on box's top. As you can see, there are the very typical shrinkage hairlines on the thin panels of ivory marquetry, which is very typical of the natural material drying as it aged. Surprisingly it remains quite entirely intact and flat. I spent time cleaning this one with a soft toothbrush, and it shows with exceptional beauty. The old mirror inside the lid is unbroken, does show age - a little spotting to the old silvering from back. Beautifully mounted, it's a thrill to display open or closed. The bottom interior shows wear, one might want to darken it evenly.
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.
