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Author Topic: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?  (Read 5781 times)

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Offline Roz

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Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« on: May 16, 2007, 08:39:55 AM »
Here is one of the items I hoped to spot at Gaydon to help me in identifying it.

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-7055

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-7054

It turned up in a job lot, and I can't decide what is was intended to be.  ??? The box part is 12 cms by 14.5 cms and 6.5 cms deep. The lid is 13.25 cms by 9.5 cms. The lid simply fits into the opening at the top of the box. The glass making the lid is 1 cms thick, and cut back to 0.6 cms where it is recessed to allow the lid to sit on the top of the box. The glass making up the box is as much as 0.8 cms thick in places.   

Can anyone help me in deciding for what it was made? I have come up with cigarette box or jewellery box, but the lid was clearly not made for frequent removal and replacement. Also, can anyone suggest where it was made and roughly when?

Thanks in anticipation!  :)

Roz

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Offline Sue C

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2007, 09:23:31 AM »
Handkerchief box ?

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Offline Roz

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2007, 09:30:51 AM »
I hadn't thought of that one!

Any idea on age, anyone? Or any other suggestions as to intended use? It was amongst some nice glass household pieces (e.g. salt & pepper sets) which I can fairly confidently say are mid-20th century.

Roz

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Offline Frank

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2007, 11:00:07 AM »
Cigarette box seems unlikely, unless they were intended to lie the long way. I estimate internal length at 10cm which is too big for cigarettes... so some part of a dressing table set seems likely. King size are over 8cm but many cigarette boxes were made for the smaller standard size.

1920's would be earliest but post-war is not impossible either. The execution of the design is not high art and I would incline to a later period. But quality of how it is made overall has an impact and that is hard to assess from the pictures.

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Offline Roz

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2007, 11:29:20 AM »
Thanks Frank. I've lots of pictures which I can crop and chop. What part of the box would you need to see to better assess the quality?

Roz

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Offline Lustrousstone

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2007, 11:52:29 AM »
Not cigarettes, IMHO. The lids of such boxes were often recessed to act as ashtrays

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Offline Frank

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2007, 12:14:12 PM »
I think this is one of those cases where handling is needed.

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Offline Roz

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2007, 12:23:45 PM »
Thanks Christine and Frank. It seems that cigarette box is out, by common consensus. As to quality - it seems decent enough, but not terribly exciting. It's a clever piece of workmanship, though - the junctions of the curved sides with the flat ends intrigue me. The engraving is adequate, but not (as Frank says) high art.

I still like the suggestion of a handkerchief box.

Roz

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Offline Sue C

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2007, 03:11:41 PM »
Hi Roz, does the image on the top remind anyone of Boudica?

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Offline Roz

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Re: Clear glass box with engraved lid - what is its purpose?
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2007, 03:27:23 PM »
The temple in the background suggests Diana (the goddess, not the princess), to my mind.

Roz

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