Object Description
This is a wonderful antique Victorian burr walnut, ivorine, brass and turquoise bead mounted casket, circa 1870 in date.
This wonderful casket has a domed hinged lid with elaborate studded brass fret-work enhanced with ivorine and turquoise bead appliqués. It opens to reveal a vacant interior which is lined with wonderful purple velvet and is ready to store your precious items.
It has its original working lock and key with yellow tassel.
This is a highly decorative piece which will make a statement once placed on any period desk.
Condition:
In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 16 x Width 23 x Depth 13
Dimensions in inches:
Height 6 inches x Width 9 inches x Depth 5 inches
Walnut & Burr Walnut
Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.
Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.
Walnut “burrs” were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.
Our reference: A3551