These antique cigar or cigarette boxes for your drawing room or study are now highly collectable. al / silver plate casing - which is lined with a fine sandalwood (nice to have the original side compartment divider still present which can be moved about to suit the contents inside).
As you can see from my photographs - it is in excellent antique condition. The interior is nice and clean and free from any staining or dirt. The exterior is fully cased with a white metal (?silver plate)- and again in good condition with no nasty dings or dents. The metal is currently unpolished with its natural patination commensurate with age - it would be quite easy for you to polish up with a little household metal polish if you preferred more of a shine to it.
The lid is hinged at the back and opens and closes readily.
The thing that makes this box stand out from the crowd is the fabulous decoration on the lid.
The lid has on it a print by the great British sporting artist, George Wright (1860 - 1942). Wright's works seem to have been much favoured for these type of gentleman's boxes and features scenes of rustic pursuits, equestrian sports or countryside pastimes.
On this box, we have an antique print taken from one of Wright's fine paintings - it shows two ladies driving a pair of trotting horses and pulling a smart open carriage. A footman stands to the rear. The location is most probably Hyde Park in London - and it is a tradition that continues right up until today.
The print is such a lovely image - and is under glass. At first glance, it looks like a little painting - but closer inspection reveals that it is a fine printed image - which has subsequently been painted by hand and embellished with tiny brushstrokes to look like an original artwork. It is certainly both charming in the subject and skilled in production. The artist was a celebrated Victorian artist - who specialised in sporting scenes - you can see his delight in capturing all the detail of the two greys - who trot along in unison. Wright exhibited at the Royal Academy in London.
It is certainly a most magnificent example of its type - and this is reflected in my asking price. As mentioned, the box is nice and clean & and the lid image is bright and free from any fading.
The box measures: 9 inches in length - with a width of 5 1/2 inches and with a height of 2 1//2 inches.
It will be very carefully packed and sent with Royal Mail Tracked and Signed for Post. This will be applied to your order at the checkout.