A silver, ebony and shagreen casket

BY ROBERT FOX AT THE ARTIFICERS' GUILD, LONDON, 1919

Details

A silver, ebony and shagreen casket
By Robert Fox at the Artificers' Guild, London, 1919
In the form of an octagonal folly with crown and ribbed cone finial, octagonal ebony uprights and arched castellated border above and below, covered overall with sharkskin, the side panels applied with stylised Japanese 'bijin' figures, the interior fitted with velvet-covered compartments and four triangular perfume bottles with gilt stoppers
7 7/8in. (20cm.) high
Maker's mark RFF for Robert Fox, bottle stoppers indistinctly marked

Lot Essay

The architectural nature of the design and the use of shagreen relates closely to the work of Fox's contemporaries Edward Spencer and John Paul Cooper, both of whom designed for the Artificer's Guild. However, the uncharacteristic incorporation of oriental figures into the scheme defies direct relation to any of either Cooper's workbook designs or those of Spencer's that are recorded.
We are grateful to Muriel Wilson for her help in researching this catalogue entry.

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