Tortoise Shell Historical Memorabilia

This wooden cabinet is designed in the Boulle style. This style was very popular around the time of Napoleon III. The characteristic of this style is the use of small pieces of wood in furniture, inlaid designs with many different materials: precious wood, precious stones, enamel, ivory, seashells, metal, marble etc. In addition, to express the royal style, the "Boulle" style also uses a large amount of gilded copper on the furniture, such as tiger claw decoration, mirror border decoration, leaf decoration, etc. The main elementsof this cabinet is ebony and turtle shell, with decorative details and gilded legs. This is a pretty prominent highlight in the overall black and gold color scheme. Moreover, the head of a woman is in the middle of the cabinet with waves in her hair and grape vines could be representing the Greek goddes of spring Spring. Surrounding the head are beautiful acanthus motifs incorporated in every layer and surface of the cabinet. Symmetricallly on the left and right side of the head are two identical faces, with one being the lock of the cabinet where key goes. The four corners of the cabinet have blooming carnations to create a feeling of spring coming. The details are collaged, decorated with golden bronze leaves in a classic French style. On the edges of the cabinet are sculptures of two women wrapped around with cloth and leaves. Through it, the author highlights the beauty of the woman's status in the past. On the side panels of the cabinet is placed a gilded face of a man with wings...

French antique Boulle cabinet. Wood is decorated with inlaid brass and turtle, bronze details outside. Inside the cabinet there are two shelves. Cabinet top is marble. Perfect co...

- A hugely rare and intimate piece of British history: Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson's snuff box - Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758–1805) is one of the most celebrated figures in British history, best remembered for his heroic efforts during the Napoleonic wars. Nelson's career as a naval officer saw him lead the British fleet to several victories, during which he suffered injuries, including the loss of his right arm and the sight in his right eye. His most famous victory came in October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy decimated the combined fleets of the French and Spanish navies. Prior to the battle, Nelson sent out the famous message "England expects that every man will do his duty". Tragically, he was shot by a French sniper and died on board his ship the HMS Victory mid battle. His body was returned to England where he was granted a state funeral, and numerous monuments were erected in his honor, including Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London. This tortoiseshell composition snuff box was originally owned by Lord Nelson, and features a miniature watercolor scene of the Amalfi coast on the top. The box was gifted by Nelson to his personal secretary George Unwin, during a dinner party in Sicily in late 1798 or early 1799 which was also attended by Nelson's mistress, Emma, Lady Hamilton. Nelson had first met Hamilton in 1793 and the pair were reunited in 1798 following the Battle of the Nile. Having been severely injured, Nelson recuperated in Naples, during which time he was nursed back to health by Lady Emma and her elderly husband, Sir William Hamilton. It was during this period that Nelson and Hamilton began their famous love affair, which lasted until Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It seems highly possible that Nelson gave this gift to Unwin as a show of generosity, in an attempt to impress his mistress over dinner. The snuff box is offered along with a manuscript letter by Unwin's son, George, which reads in full: "My Father had either lost his own snuff box on going ashore or in some shop in Palermo and upon mentioning the circumstances at Lady Hamilton’s table where Lord Nelson was one of the party his Lordship...