I have never paid very much attention to straw work, also called straw marquetry, but this miniature dome topped straw work box, lined with newspaper dating it to c. 1795, has converted me! Examples of this sort are most often referred to as Napoleonic prisoner of war work, as most pieces available today were made in England in prisoner of war camps and prison ships between 1793 and 1815--making this an early one. Drawing on traditions practiced in many parts of the Far East and Europe for centuries prior, the prisoners, primarily French and Dutch, applied their knowledge of straw work to construct boxes in this manner, often very elaborate, from the humblest of materials--manifestations of resilience and the drive to make things beautiful if there ever were. There is an excellent blog entry on the site of Garden Court Antiques, San Francisco, all about it here.
The newspaper lining here, rare to find as far as I have seen, shows the year 1795 and seems to be an American newspaper, speaking of Jefferson, and Madison, and American relations with England and France as well as Spain and Holland. It is signed Julia A. Breckenridge along one short side--perhaps a member of the prominent Breckenridge family that included Revolutionary War General Robert Breckenridge and US Attorney General John Breckenridge, appointed by Jefferson. Lots to dig into here, quite an amazing piece of history!
5 3/8" x 3 1/8" x 2 5/8" t. Good condition, with general light wear accrued over the past 230 years or so! Some minor losses to the straw as documented. Structurally very sound, not at all fragile, and lnewspaper ining is in near perfect condition.
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