Sewing box in Boulle marquetry, Paris, Louis XIV period

Rare box in first part* of Boulle marquetry, with brass fillets on a background of red
tortoiseshell. Rectangular in shape and with an inverted « doucine » profile, it opens with a flap and has a dome in the upper part which was used to prick the needles.
All sides are decorated with finely engraved brass scrolls, inspired by the engravings of Jean
Bérain (1640-1711), and spandrels with acanthus leaves. The interior is veneered with violet wood and features finely chiseled and openworked bronze hinges.

Nice state of preservation.
Parisian work of the Louis XIV period.

Dimensions :
Width : 18 cm ; Depth : 13.5 cm ; Height : 12 cm

Our view :

The luxurious box we present is part of the very beautiful models made at the end of the reign of Louis XIV.
The Boulle marquetry is reserved for an elite of the nobility and generally plated on
rectangular surfaces, unlike our box which has rare forms « en doucines ». If our current knowledge does not allow us to attribute it to a particular workshop, the density, the richness of the decoration, and the finesse of the engraving are close to the productions of BVRB I.
The latter, who was practically a tablemaker, made a number of chests, toilet mirrors, and clock cases with this type of very lively decoration, which is sometimes enriched with mother-of-pearl and stained horn. First part* : By superimposing two sheets of veneer during the cutting process, patterns and backgrounds of two different materials are created and reassembled two by two. The first part
corresponds to the patterns coming from the first top sheet (often the metal one) with the background of the bottom sheet (often the tortoiseshell one). The counterpart corresponds to the patterns from the bottom sheet with the bottom of the top sheet.
We thus obtain two compositions of marquetry in negative. The marquetry where the scale is the background and the copper the ornaments is the most beautiful.
In order to obtain a more symmetrical composition, the counterpart is turned over so as to become the symmetry of the first part.