Dogs, horses, a cow, a rooster and hens - What a spectacular antique box we purchased in France - a real work of art and one of a kind! It seems to me to have been a cigars, tobacco or pipe box, though of course there is no staining nor odor to help us. Decorative to the max, it will please any collector, whether tobacco related or not. Wood lined or wood-sided, the frame is Neo-Gothic, figural, and it holds a thick solid wood set of panels which are also decorative in a fox hunt, farmland theme complete on 5 panels. Only the wooden bottom is not an oil painting. I am not finding an artist's signature, but each of these paintings is a standalone beauty. As noted, painted in oil on board panels, they survive in wonderful condition. I've done my best to show you each one. Look over our photos for each panel's detail. A feel of Impressionism to them, which would fit the timing. It is mid-Victorian, c.1860-80. There is a working lock, but we do not have a working key for it at listing.
Very good to excellent condition throughout, considering age and type. The paintings have lost little or nothing of their original splendor. Oil painting on board will always hold up better than on stretched canvas. The paintings are created directly on the boards that comprise the box. Beautiful grain, as you can see from the interior view, and no stain, no staining, no odor nor issues to report other than that the working key is no longer with it. We'll check our stash of antique keys to see if we can fit one to it. But at listing time, no key. The frame is heavy, bronze, still with a nice patina. Figural sides, griffins (gryphons) form adornment and also cabriole legs. Technically, it is not a humidor because it has no soaker mechanism, but the wood is often used to preserve light moisture in cigars. No damage, no breaks. Superb! Measurements noted on the photos.
