Recently acquired an entire collection of fine early to mid-1800s cigar cases and weâll list each one separately for sale. Look for them all, though. The entire collection is just fabulous! From hand embroidered ones to one favorite of mine with hand carved antler stag on front, to a splendid old shagreen case, to a host of others that would be wonderful gift ideas along with a tin of Davidoff cigars (or other) for your favorite friends who enjoy one now and then. Iâll be brief in describing each one, but theyâve come to us out of Paris and from the estate of a noted (and titled) collector who chose to remain anonymous. Wish we could disclose. This one is really a beauty and embodies so much of the aesthetic that was the era of Napoleon III in France and the world.The black and red, particularly, were favorites of the Empress Eugenie, France's last Empress and wife of Napoleon Bonaparteâs reigning nephew, Louis-Napoleon. Smack in the middle of the Victorian Era, decorative fashion and decor remains today to thrill us over and over again with the sheer magnitude of the elegant choices open to the very rich. And made by very talented craftsmen and women with which talents many rose from poverty to become the burgeoning middle classes in Europe by the end of the 1800s, passing their skill and business along to their sons, daughters. If only we knew more about the creation of this case. Fine embroidery panels, elegant mould-formed leather and that rich red kid leather interior must have employed many workers. And of course fashionable attire meant you would have a fine selection of cases to alternate in use. This would have been one such case. Iâm sure itâs gone to Opera with Royals; to church with family; to gaming nights with the finest of Paris's elite.
Very good condition for age and type. The old leather remains supple both inside and out. The cartouche top and bottom with such fine embroidered florals remain in fine form. The only part of the case that suffers is the framework, which shows corrosion. Priced accordingly. Measurements noted on the photos.
