Description

With Extensive Brass Inlay

From our Jewellery Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Victorian Burr Walnut Jewellery Box Asprey of London. The Jewellery Box veneered in beautiful burr walnut is edged in solid quadrant brass with flush mounted shaped brass handles, a brass initial plaque with a family crest and two circular brass barrell escutcheons. The Asprey Jewellery Box opens to reveal a fully lined interior with cushioned Royal Blue velvet below a mirror in the inside of the lid which drops down to access the hidden document storage. The top of the Jewellery Box houses a removable tray with multiple partitions including two vertical strips for rings or cufflinks. Below the tray is a larger area for storing bigger pieces of Jewellery which sits slightly above the pull out lockable drawer. To the rear of the top tray there is a plaque reading C. Asprey Manufacture 166 Bond St. and the lock plates are signed S. Mordan & Co. London.  The Jewellery Box dates to the late 19th century during the Victorian period circa 1860.

The Asprey Jewellery Box comes complete with working lock and two tasselled key.

Asprey was established in 1781 by William Asprey in central London. Asprey advertised ‘articles of exclusive design and high quality, whether for personal adornment or personal accompaniment and to endow with richness and beauty the table and homes of people of refinement and discernment.’ The company grew and began to acquire several manufacturing facilities and hired silversmiths, goldsmiths, jewellers and watchmakers including Ernest Betjeman. In 1859, Asprey bought ‘Edwards’, a Royal Warrant holder and award winning dressing case maker. In 1862 Asprey was granted its first Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria and the company enjoyed a long relationship with various members of the British Royal Family.

Sampson Mordan was a British silversmith and a co-inventor of the first patented mechanical pencil. During his youth, he was an apprentice of the inventor and locksmith Joseph Bramah, who patented the first elastic ink reservoir for a fountain pen. Upon Mordan’s death in 1843, his sons Sampson Junior and Augustus inherited the firm. S. Mordan & Co. continued to make silverware and brass postal scales until 1941 when their factory was destroyed by bombs during the London Blitz in WWII.

Burr Walnut also known as figured Walnut is a highly prized wood which is formed by a growth deformation resulting from stress, disease or nurturing the tree in a specific way. Burr can be developed by blocking the sap flow of the tree by means of putting a French Walnut on top of the roots of an American Walnut. Due to the unusual properties, it is rare to come across a Walnut tree growing this way in the wild. Nurturing planted trees takes at least 80 years before it is mature enough to be cut for good purpose. Burr Walnut is highly desired for their unusual grain and pattern, used mostly in veneering larger pieces such as furniture would be joined by matching the veneer pieces or blending them together.

Victorian an era of British History corresponding approximately with the reign of Queen Victoria from the 20th of June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901 however, there are arguments stating that the Victorian era is actually from 1820 until 1914 proceeded by Georgian era and followed by the Edwardian era.

With every purchase from Mark Goodger Antiques, you will receive our latest catalogue, a Certificate of Authenticity, detailed care instructions for your chosen piece and an independent invoice (for insurance purposes) will be enclosed. As well as being protected by a no-hassle, money-back policy, your piece will be entirely insured during the shipping process to ensure the safety of your item.

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