Cigarette box, London, ca. 1930
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1930
Cigarette box in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number M.34&A-1972), made in London, dated ca. 1930, attributed to John Paul Cooper. The museum's brief description reads: Cigarette box, wood,shagreen and silver, no hallmarks, London, about 1930 mark of maker John Paul Cooper.
Museum description: Cigarette box: walnut turned in a cylindrical shape, completely covered in green and grey shagreen and mounted with silver bands and with a silver finial The museum records it as Silver mounts, with shagreen and walnut core and silver finial, measuring Diameter 11.1 cm; Height 20.0 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
John Paul Cooper (1869-1933) initially trained as an architect. He worked in the offices of J. D. Sedding and Henry Wilson. In 1897, on Wilson's advice, he took up metalwork. He was largely responsible for reviving the use of shagreen. Shagreen was originally a species of untanned leather, but from about 1750 nurse sharkskin or the less expensive dogfish skin was used. It was traditionally used to cover a vast variety of containers. These ranged from boxes for tea caddies, knife boxes, canteens, small pocket or presentation cases and spectacle cases.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver, shagreen, walnut
- Dimensions
- Diameter 11.1 cm; Height 20.0 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Silver mounts, with shagreen and walnut core and silver finial
- Maker recorded
- John Paul Cooper
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- No hallmarks: signed JPC for John Paul Cooper on circular shield inside the lid
Identification
- Museum object name
- Cigarette box
- Museum object number
- M.34&A-1972
- Museum system number
- O94610
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.