Description

Exquisite Penwork Chinoiserie sewing box in sycamore, the top decorated with vibrant painted Chinese figures within a pretty grapevine border. The vibrant colours continue on all sides with more fruit and flowers. Lifting the lid of this penwork sewing box reveals a pink lined interior and a fully fitted sewing tray with six unusual turned and carved cotton spools, two cut glass scent bottles, painted wooden thimble, two removable sliding sewing boxes with painted flowers, needle case and many sewing pieces. Stands on four pressed brass ball feet. Pressed engraved brass side handles. The box has two cards inside, one reading ‘Mr Starkey, Wrenbury Hall’ and another ‘Mr R L Vawdrey’. The village of Wrenbury in Cheshire was listed in the Domesday Book in 1086 when it was known as ‘Wareneberie’. Wrenbury Hall is believed to have been built in the 1400s and until 1920 was home to prominent local landowners, the Starkey family.

Sycamore, also known as Harewood is a member of the Maple family, found in Europe. It is light yellow in colour and is often a very clean wood, with a straight, fine grain.

The wood is often pippy. However, these pips are usually a very similar colour to the rest of the wood making them hardly visible.

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.

All boxes at Hampton Antiques are professionally restored using traditional skills all by hand, and only restored when absolutely necessary.

Additional information