Box and cover — Box., Russia (Archangel), c. 1800-1825
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1800-1825
Box and cover in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 686:129-1894), made in Russia (Archangel), dated c. 1800-1825. The museum's brief description reads: Box, cover, ebony and ivory, pierced, carved, coloured ivory markers.. Museum description: Box and cover of ebony; the top and sides are overlaid with fine openwork plaques of ivory. On the cover is a central rosette within two concentric wreaths is placed in the middle of a plaque composed of lozenges, filled with cross-shaped devices and outlined by bead ornament; the band which surrounds this plaque, is composed of a row of ovals, each of which is filled in with the same cross-shaped device. The next and last border is occupied by a repeating pattern of floral scrolls, and has a row of beads round its outer edge. The sides of the cover are decorated with festoons and ribbons, and the ornament of the sides of the box is the same as the inner border of the cover. Inside the box are four ivory trays, each in the form of an octagonal basket, containing red, green, yellow, and white ivory markers, pierced with lattice-work. The museum records it as Ebony and ivory, measuring Height 6 cm; Width 29.2 cm; Depth 20.2 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This ebony box is covered with ivory panels carved with pierced geometrical and scroll designs. Inside there are four ivory trays, each in the form of an octagonal basket containing red, green, yellow and white ivory games tokens. The box is Russian and was made in Archangel, where a thriving ivory industry existed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This particular example is likely to date from the first quarter of the nineteenth century. A comparable piece is in the collections of The Hermitage, St Petersburg. Labels on the undersides of the smaller boxes are inscribed 'M.B. 1845', probably the initials of the owner, made soon after s/he acquired the boxes.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- ebony, ivory
- Dimensions
- Height 6 cm; Width 29.2 cm; Depth 20.2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Ebony and ivory
- Place recorded
- Russia (Archangel)
Identification
- Museum object name
- Box and cover
- Museum object number
- 686:129-1894
- Museum system number
- O183469
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.