Boulle marquetry box, Paris, Louis XIV period

Rare and precious rectangular box opening with a flap.
The five sides are veneered with luxurious boulle marquetry alternating tortoiseshell, ebony, pewter and brass finely engraved with a chisel.
The flap features a central rosette in an environment of two-tone scrollwork on a tortoiseshell background, all framed by pewter reserves surrounded by brass fillets and ebony sticks.
The faces of the box feature rosettes framed with two-tone palmettes on a red tortoiseshell background.
The interior is clad in amaranth.

Original key and lock.

Oak bottom.

Very good state of conservation.

The decor probably based on the engravings of Jean Marot. (1619-1679)

Parisian work from the Louis XIV period to compare with the productions of Pierre Gole.

Dimensions:

Width: 12 inches; Depth: 23 cm; Height: 8.5 cm

Origin :

Guy de Rotschild at the Château de Ferrières, then by descent.

Our opinion :

The rectangular shape of our box and its decoration allow us to date it from the Louis XIV period, more precisely from the years 1670-1690.
Several elements, such as the simple rectangular shape, the decoration of rosettes and arabesques attributable to the engraver Jean Marot, (who was the brother-in-law of Pierre Gole), or the presence of a very contrasting two-tone marquetry with backgrounds of Pewter and an interior amaranth veneer are characteristic of Pierre Gole's work.
For example, we will find these elements on the small writing table of the bottlenose dolphin kept at the Louvre Museum (Inv No. OA 12872) or on a nearby table kept at the Getty Museum (Inv No. 82.DA.34).
They are also found on many flat or curved boxes attributed to him.
The purity of the decoration and the richness of the five materials used for the veneer of our box are a very fine example of the most beautiful Boulle marquetry from the time of Louis XIV.