Description

Antique Rosewood Sewing boxwith beautiful inlaid design depicting a flower vase being inspected by a butterfly, surrounded with scrolling floral borders. The engraving and attention to detail is exquisite.

The interior is lined in a striking red silk and patterned paper. The underside of the ruched silk lid has a compartment for patterns or letters with a mother of pearl tab to keep it secure.
The exquisite sewing box features a removable tray, which is fully fitted with mother of pearl thread spools, thread winder, lidded compartments with mother of pearl handles, and a removable tool tray fitted with mother of pearl handled file, pricker and sewing hook and a pair of scissors.

This antique sewing box comes with a fully working lock and tasselled key.

When we acquire sewing boxes (also known as work or needlework boxes), it’s always a pleasure to see what’s inside them, and to imagine and how ladies used each one differently. We often find many sewing tools, pin cushions, sewing patterns etc, as well as mysterious items we have not come across before. We keep boxes’ original contents intact as much as possible, as we feel removing them is detrimental to the history and character of the box.

Needlework & embroidery were the main pass-time of Georgian ladies. Their tools & materials were first kept in sewing baskets or pouches, until wooden Sewing Boxes became highly fashionable around the 1770s. They were often decorated according to the lady’s own style & personal taste, sometimes by the lady herself. Some were also pre-fitted with tools such as tape measures, thread reels & thimbles.

By the late 1800s, sewing boxes remained popular but styles became more basic & commercially made.

Additional information