Napoleon III Antique French Sewing Box Chinoiserie Style Ebony

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Napoleon III Antique French Sewing Box Chinoiserie Style Ebony

About the Item

Fabulous antique French Napoleon III era Palais Royal style sewing box, a unique casket in the Chinoiserie style made popular by Empress Josephine with pagoda shaping, ebony finish and figural brass & mother of pearl inlays! Beautiful! The "Japonaise" fashion and style you see here was all the fashion and rage and was almost entirely due to the elegant tastes of Empress Eugenie, the wife of France's last Emperor, Louis Napoleon, or "Napoleon III" as he is referred to most often. Running roughly parallel to the Victorian era in England, the Napoleon III era gave us a revival of the French Empire style of his namesake and uncle, Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine) as well as a taste for Chantilly lace; items of the Far Eastern aesthetic such as the one you see here. This box is a magnificent example of this era's aesthetic. Deep black and crimson seemed favorites of the Granada, Spain born Empress, and the influence of her beauty and fashion sense was, in her time, much like that later phenomenon of Princess Grace, Jackie Kennedy, or Princess Diana. Eugenie's taste and style influenced an entire era from clothing to decorative arts, and so when I see this casket, I can only think of her. This grand lady of influence outlived all her later challengers, living out the final of her 94 years in Madrid, Spain. A tour of the Royal Apartments in the Louvres will put you into her home while there (the last rulers to live in that particular Palace), and there is an entire room dedicated to the Japonaise or "Chinoise" fashion she loved which can be seen in the Palace of Fontainebleau, another of her residences. In this lovely sewing box, we have the quintessential embodiment of this fashion.

Very good condition. A small restored chip to the front left corner of the lid, a small section or two of the white string inlay missing. No missing brass or mother of pearl inlays. The interior appears to be original, the etui implement fittings in the lid rather than resting atop the base compartment as we normally see. Missing a few tools, some likely not original. Original hinges & lock but missing the key. See pictures for measurements.

Style:
Victorian
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Napoleon III (c.1850-70)
Condition:
Small restoration of chip to front left corner. A small section of ivory stringing missing here or there. Some sewing implements missing, including thimble.
Seller Location:
San Marcos, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: 508rebsew1stDibs: JU11111722799