Art Nouveau 1904 English Sterling Silver Cherub Design Silver Box

Description

Presented is a beautiful, English sterling silver box made by Henry Matthews of
Birmingham in 1904. The sides and lid are decorated with cherub heads and wings
surrounded by flowing scrolls and swirling clouds. A kind eBayer told us that the
picture on top of the box is after a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, a popular
18th century English painter.  The style has been updated to reflect Art Nouveau
characteristics, but it is clearly after Sir Reynolds' cherub portrait. The
inside of the box is lined with blue grosgrain material. This is a wonderful
quality sterling piece.
The side of the box is marked with the anchor for Birmingham, the lion
passant for sterling silver, a date letter e for the year 1904 and a maker’s
mark for Henry Matthews. The lid is also hallmarked with the lion passant and
one other hallmark. Both of the hallmarks on the lid are very worn.
This piece is in good overall condition. There is a dent to the back right
corner (most visible in the third photo on the left side) and some small dents to the lid, which you can see in the last two photographs below. When looking at the underside, you will see the tiniest bit of warping of the black exterior cloth. There are no other flaws, no breaks, no splits, no monograms, no monogram removals and no repairs.
The box measures 7 7/8 by 7 inches, is 2 3/4 inches tall and weighs 703
grams or 24.8 ounces.
Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution