Brass-Edged Rosewood Watch Box with Push-Button Catch, c.1890
A brass-edged rosewood presentation box made to hold a single pocket watch, English or French, from around 1890. A brass band runs round the edge of the lid top, and a shaped brass cartouche is let into its centre, left blank and never engraved.
The lid is lined in ivory silk satin, the base in taupe velvet with a raised padded bezel sized to a watch of about 45mm, held face up. A small brass button in the front edge releases the lid catch. The box measures 11 by 8.5cm and stands about 25mm deep.
It carries no maker or retailer name on the case or in the lining. The rosewood lid keeps its colour and figure under light scratching and two small round pale marks; the base, a paler timber stained dark, has worn back to bare wood, the silk satin shows the foxing and water marks of age, and the padded bezel is split where its ends meet. The brass lid rim, hinge and cartouche are intact, and the lid closes as it should.
