Thursday, July 31, 2008

"A Gentlemen's Box"---circa 1865 - 1880

I imagine in anyone one individual's abode one has what one might call collectible antiques.  It occurred to me while chatting on line with Missy , that I should blog about what might be the oldest antique in our house here.  I of course consulted withe the Little Prince (LP), as he is the castle historian and keeper of all knowledge , and twas he who nominated what you see here.  "A Gentlemen's Box" all the rage back in 1865-1880 London, England.  In that era when a gentlemen travelled he would have his box readily available whereever he stopped over, be it at some friend's country house for the weekend or on safari, in darkest Africa.  In the picture you see the box.  Hand made and signed by "CRAFTON" its maker.  Enclosed in the box one finds four (4) English hand cut-crystal  bottles with matching stoppers.   I apologize for the poor pictures but have yet to learn how to do good close ups, and make better use of the flash.  The box as you can see is sitting on my dining room table, with the brocade tapestry runner---I put it there for picture taking as I thought it would show better.


In anycase its one of the antiques we got here , not counting the owner ha ha.

6 comments:

  1. What a beautiful box. i have one that looks a little like that it that is a cigar box. Its is not an antique though.

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  2. Ya got a nice box there Gary. My question is...what did they put in those little bottles that they needed to keep with them all the time?

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  3. Gary, I so enjoyed chatting with you yesterday.

    When you mentioned you would blog about the oldest item in your home, I thought that was a great idea!

    This is a wonderful old box ... LP had great input about sharing it.

    I hope you have a great weekend.

    Missy

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  4. What a lovely antique. I love antiques and in 3 years I'll be one. I have my great-grandmothers steamer trunk and I treasure it. My oldest son loves to go antiquing (sp?) with me. Although we can't usually afford anything, we have a good time looking.

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  5. Okay, was the decanter full for the gentleman to share with people he visited or did the gentleman arrive with the decanter empty and then fill it at each home he was visiting?

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  6. we are talking about "Gentlemen" not "cads" Grannie-------

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Speak up, don't be a nebish---your opinions do count.