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Austrian Mother of Pearl Etui with London Scene by Balthasar Wigand
About the Item
Fully Fitted Sewing Box
From our Sewing Box collection, we are delighted to introduce to the market this exceptional Mother of Pearl Sewing Box with painted panel by Balthasar Wigand. The Sewing Box of slimline rectangular form with a raised lid beautifully finished with a quilted mother of pearl exterior, a shaped ormolu escutcheon and glazed panel featuring a painted gouache rectangular scene depicting Saint Pauls Cathedral and the river Thames, London which is without doubt attributed to Balthasar Wigand. When opened the Sewing Box features a fully fitted and original sewing kit with mother of pearl tools and accessories with gold mounts and an inner mirror with red rope work. The Austrian Mother of Pearl Sewing Box painted panel is firmly attributed to Balthasar Wigand (1770-1846) and the box to Karl Schmid who was a renowned manufacture of mother of pearl novelties see references below. The Austrian Mother of Pearl Sewing Box dates to the early 19th century circa 1820 and was likely retailed in the famous Palais Royal in France.
Reference The New York Met Accession Number 1990.328.21a–i, the London Royal Collection Inventory number RCIN 3487 , the Victoria & Albert Museum Accession Number W.12-1977, Liechtenstein The Princely Collections Inventory number GR 649 and SK 927
Literature Mark Goodger 25th Anniversary Catalogue page 33
Karl Schmid (fl. first half of the 19th century) won a bronze medal for mother-of-pearl novelties at the first Austrian Industrial Products Exhibition held in 1835. Karl Schmid, who was noted as a turner, was celebrated for his work in mother-of-pearl.
Balthasar Wigand (1770-1846) was an austrian born painter who specialised in gouache views of famous Viennese sites and buildings. He was born in 1770 as the son of a Viennese coffee roaster and graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts. He moved onto concentrate on the genre of miniature painting which he perfected over time. Specialising in small formats, his works focused mainly on the depiction of political events (such as processions) in the Napoleonic era, as well as on shaded city vedutas and landscape sceneries of his home region. His watercolours and gouaches were highly popular, and the artist was never short of new commissions. Wigand opened a workshop to meet the rising demand, where everyday objects such as sewing caskets, were decorated with his miniature paintings.
Palais Royal is the collective name of objects that were sold within a Palace in Paris. Originally it was built for Cardinal Richelieu in 1629 and was originally named Palais Cardinal but after the death of Richelieu, it was inherited by King Louis XIII and was named Palais Royal. The palace was later bequeathed to Philippe d’Orléans, a cousin of Louis XVI and in 1781, Philippe d’Orléans, on the verge of financial ruin, decided to subdivide the Palais Royal Garden, which until then had been free of any dwelling. Construction took five years, after which 90 merchants moved in. The area was a popular place for loiterers, betters, pickpockets, and prostitutes. When the revolution ended in 1799 the Palais Royal was refurbished again by Napoleon Bonaparte when he became Emperor in 1804 and it housed galleries and shops selling high quality luxury wares such as this notebook above. It again fell into disrepair when gambling was banned in 1838 but restored in the 1870s. Due to this, there are very few if any pearl Palais Royal objects crafted after 1840.
Mother of Pearl, Mother of pearl is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is the same material that natural pearls are made from and is desirable due to its strong and resilient makeup along with its beautiful iridescent shimmer.
- Dimensions:Height: 1.78 in (4.5 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 3.35 in (8.5 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1820
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Northampton, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 5015841stDibs: LU8027245480522
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