Tortoise-shell and ivory box with engraved "Elizabeth" plaque
Date:
1795-1837
Description:
A box which may be owned by Sharaf-un-Nisa. A tortoise-shell and wood box with metal and bone/ivory inlay. The structure of the box seems to be made of wood, with the cover made of tortoise shell. The box has a metal lock without a key. There is a small plaque attached onto the top of the box, reading the name “Elizabeth.” The bottom of the box is covered with green felt, and there is residue of fabric lining inside. This box seems to be a simple example of a Regency period tortoise-shell jewelry box; it appears that these were in vogue in the 1810s. English cursive script.
The box is made of tortoise shell and ivory on a wooden base. The family cannot prove that this belongs to Elizabeth Sharaf un-Nisa since there are many Elizabeths in the family, but the combination of family history and the dating of the jewelry box as a popular style in the Regency period seems to make it likely. As it sounds, the material comes from the shell of large species of turtles and tortoise; tortoise farming for this purpose has been banned since that time. Used since ancient times in places like Greece and East Asia, a Frenchman named Andre Charles Boulle, a cabinet maker for Louis XIV, started a trend of applying tortoiseshell on wooden or metal objects for display.
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