Fabulous antique French TAHAN marked Napoleon III or Victorian era 11 7/8" wide cigar presenter chest or tantalus in ebony or ebonized parquetry veneers, ornate boulle style inlays and five sliding cigar trays inside! It seems impossible for one of these to stay in our inventory more than a few days or weeks. I'm sure it will be no different for this Napoleon III era (c.1850-70s) beauty. It is large and elegant, 11 7/8" wide, 8 3/4" front to back (at the base) and 8 1/4" tall on 4 turned wood feet. The double-hinged hardware lifts the top and folds it back, but also braces it at a perfect aesthetic angle as only the finest of these do. The French are always aware of aesthetic! Working lock with original key allows you to ceremonially unlock and open the chest to display and offer up to sixty 5.5" cigars from the 5 original fitted shelves within. Inside the lid is a metallic paper label reading "". Tahan, one of the most notable makers in France at the time and highly sought after. Gorgeous inlays, a glorious decorative chest, even if cigars aren't really your thing.
Very good to excellent condition throughout, age and type considered. Two of the inner shelves are missing their little turned wood pulls and it appears that two shelves have old repaired breaks/splits but are solid, stable and perfectly usable. We normally see the inner lock plate with engraved maker markings, this one with a paper label for Tahan so, though we hate to say it, it is possible that someone just came across the label and placed it there (most common is that paper labels were affixed to the bottom so it could also have just been moved to a more visible location). A few small nips or chips to the flared base of the box, some slight surface scuffs to the veneers but nothing missing that I can see. All inlay intact. See images for all measurements.
