France, 19th Century, Jewellery Box

France, 19th century

Jewellery box

Ebony wood, ivory and stones, cm H. 13 x 35.5 x 29

The present box, with its elegant and refined design, was a jewel case of very high quality and technical expertise very popular in the nineteenth century among the French noblewomen. Rectangular in shape, the box is almost entirely made of ebonized wood, with fine inlaid styled ivory on the surface, depicting griffins, naturalistic branches and masks. The jewelry box is further enhanced by the inclusion of stones of different shape and color, which enrich it and move it chromatically. Equipped with an April lid thanks to a hidden hinge mechanism, the box is internally divided into compartments, having the function of containing and differentiating the jewelry that was stored in it and facilitating its recovery during grooming; also has a mirror that allowed to admire yourself in the process. 

The jewels, which practically disappeared in the years of the French Revolution, when prudence suggested concealing any luxury, reappeared in all their splendour with the advent of Napoleon: they will be, in fact, the future emperor of France, great lover of extravagance, and his wife, Giuseppina Beauharnais, who will dictate the laws of a new, opulent court fashion, making it necessary to create exquisite jewelry boxes of high aesthetic and artistic value. 

These boxes are not limited to their practical function as containers, but also serve as valuable decorative furnishings to be placed inside living spaces. The inclusion of inlays in ivory, a material symbol of refinement and craftsmanship, made it the object destined to the more affluent social classes, which could afford this type of expensive work as well as the customization of the box.