Box
18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This box has been decorated using the intricate technique of piqué which was perfected in Paris in the 18th century. It required skilled craftsmen to inlay turtle shell (now known as tortoiseshell) with tiny gold pins (known as piqué point) or strips of gold laid in shallow grooves (piqué posé).
This example is made of dark, moulded tortoiseshell, inlaid with pins and flat strips of gold. The gold sheet depicting a sea shore is finely engraved.
This example is made of dark, moulded tortoiseshell, inlaid with pins and flat strips of gold. The gold sheet depicting a sea shore is finely engraved.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Picque, inlaid tortoiseshell, gold |
| Brief description | Box, tortoiseshell inlaid with gold, France or Netherlands, 18th century |
| Physical description | Picque, inlaid tortoise-shell, oblong but with curved and moulded corners, inlaid with gold depicting ruins, figures, boats |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Silver Gallery:
This box is made of dark, moulded tortoiseshell, inlaid with piqué and posé work. The gold sheet depicting a sea shore is finely engraved. Mid-18th century gold and piqué boxes of similar shape were popular in the Netherlands and France.(26/11/2002) |
| Summary | This box has been decorated using the intricate technique of piqué which was perfected in Paris in the 18th century. It required skilled craftsmen to inlay turtle shell (now known as tortoiseshell) with tiny gold pins (known as piqué point) or strips of gold laid in shallow grooves (piqué posé). This example is made of dark, moulded tortoiseshell, inlaid with pins and flat strips of gold. The gold sheet depicting a sea shore is finely engraved. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 472-1873 |
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| Record created | February 9, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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